This Is the Kind of Cash Yield You Usually Look For, So Why Not ABNB?

ABNB: Airbnb logo
ABNB
Airbnb

Here is why we think Airbnb (ABNB) is worth a look

  • Cash Yield: Not many stocks offer free cash flow yield of 5.4%, but ABNB does
  • Fundamentals: 3-Year average revenue growth of 16.3% and operating margin of 19.7% show good fundamentals
  • Valuation: While tad expensive at PE of 30.4, the combo of cash yield, growth, and margin could still get noticed
  • Compared to S&P, while you get higher valuation, you further get higher revenue growth, and better margins

Free Cash Flow Yield refers to free cash flow per share / stock price. Why it matters? If a company produces high amount of cash per share, it can be used to fuel additional revenue growth, or simply paid through dividends or buybacks to shareholders. For quick background, Airbnb provides a platform connecting hosts and guests worldwide to book stays and experiences online or via mobile devices.

  ABNB S&P Median
Sector Consumer Discretionary
Industry Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines
Free Cash Flow Yield 5.4% 3.8%
Revenue Growth LTM 10.2% 5.1%
Revenue Growth 3YAVG 16.3% 5.2%
Operating Margin LTM 22.5% 18.7%
Operating Margin 3YAVG 19.7% 17.8%
PE Ratio 30.4 24.0

But do these numbers tell the full story? Read Buy or Sell ABNB Stock to see if Airbnb still has an edge that holds up under the hood.

That is one way to look at stocks. Trefis High Quality Portfolio evaluates much more, and is designed to reduce stock-specific risk while giving upside exposure

Relevant Articles
  1. The Next Big Rally in Ford Motor Stock Could Start Like This
  2. The Risk Factors to Watch Out For in NVIDIA Stock
  3. Intuitive Surgical Stock Now 16% Cheaper, Time To Buy
  4. AT&T Stock Pays Out $85 Bil – Investors Take Note
  5. Intel Stock Pays Out $92 Bil – Investors Take Note
  6. Comcast Stock Capital Return Hits $44 Bil

The Point? The Market Can Notice, And Reward

Here are some stocks that showed strong cash flow yield in mid 2024, and saw strong returns in the subsequent 12 months

  • FFIV gained 70% in a year after showing a 6.9% free cash flow yield
  • CSCO had 6.6% yield, and returned 50% in the next 12 months
  • PM rose over 85% percent as the market noticed its 5.7% free cash flow yield and good underlying revenue growth

But Consider The Risk

That said, Airbnb isn’t immune to big drops. It fell about 14% during the Covid pandemic and got hit even harder, down nearly 62%, in the 2022 inflation shock. Even with solid fundamentals, these kinds of swings show the stock carries real risk when the market turns. Good business won’t stop sharp pullbacks in tough times.

But the risk is not limited to major market crashes. Stocks fall even when markets are good – think events like earnings, business updates, outlook changes. Read ABNB Dip Buyer Analyses to see how the stock has recovered from sharp dips in the past.

Picking winners on a consistent basis is not an easy task – especially given the volatility associated with a single stock. Instead, the Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio, with a collection of 30 stocks, has a track record of comfortably outperforming the S&P 500 over the last 4-year period. Why is that? As a group, HQ Portfolio stocks provided better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index; less of a roller-coaster ride, as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.