CrowdStrike , Informatica , KnowBe4 , Zoominfo Technologies , and Salesforce are Wolfe Research's top software picks for 2022.
"These names we think are poised for a meaningful comeback and have some of the largest upsides we have in our price targets are actually cybersecurity names," Wolfe Research analyst Alex Zukin said in a CNBC interview this week. "All of our top picks have really strong cash flow multiples, free cash flow profiles. We think that’s such an important focus going forward because it’s not just about growth anymore."
Software names are poised to be rebound in 2022 as investors move away from growth and focus on margins and efficiency, Zukin said. About 41% of investors see the software sector as more attractive going into 2022 relative to 2021, according a survey of more than 120 institutional investors that Wolfe conducted.
"We're still very positive on the sector, but we think things are changing in 2022," Zukin said. "We think investors are going from focusing on just growth to really focusing on are these good businesses, is there cash flow, is there efficiency."
Salesforce is poised for a comeback in 2022 due its leadership steam, its $27.7B acquisition of Slack and it's renewed focus on margins, according to Zukin. He also expects that the company could make its largest acquisition ever and purchase Okta Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA) for about $50B.
"We don' think they are going to stop doing deals," Zukin said. "Whether it's next year, whether its two years from now. Similar to what Microsoft, you’ve seen them focus on with security, we think Salesforce is not going to be far behind. We talk about Okta as a really strategic and transformational acquisition. It will be the largest one they’ve ever done."
And don't miss, Cybersecurity companies to see "massive strength" in 2022 according to Wedbush.
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