With tech stocks continuing to rise, it is becoming increasingly difficult to decide which companies are worth buying, and which are simply stocks to sell. This article will give readers an overview of the best tech stocks to sell to maximize their returns.
The U.S., European, and Chinese stock markets have experienced positive gains since the start of the year. However, despite this recent bullishness, UBS Global Wealth Management cautioned against being over-confident in the sustainability of this run. Factors like high inflation and other market conditions could still be unfavorable for stocks in the early months of 2023.
Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, voiced his concern over the possibility of a ‘head fake’ rally, and that economic data may not achieve the market’s expectations in a recent note to clients. He cautioned that it’s still too soon to infer that inflation is no longer a concern. Additionally, he highlighted the possibility of core inflation being higher than anticipated, along with other potential risks facing the markets.
Investors could not be happier with the positive start to this year. However, they should also remain watchful. Although the market is looking up, economic data are still uncertain. Thus, it’s far from guaranteed that this impressive progress we’ve seen will remain for the rest of 2023.
Accordingly, for those looking to trim equity exposure, here are three stocks to sell.
| DOCU | DocuSign | $58.83 |
| OPEN | Opendoor | $1.71 |
| SI | Silvergate Capital Corporation | $15.20 |
DocuSign (DOCU)
DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU) is a company providing digital signature solutions to a broad base of large and small corporate clients. This business model has made the company one of the most sought-after tech stocks during the pandemic. Indeed, as businesses of all sizes adjusted their operations as a result of the pandemic, many leaned on digital solutions like electronic signatures and the document management tools that DocuSign offers.
DocuSign’s yearly revenue has seen tremendous growth in the last three years. In 2022, the company reported $2.1 billion in revenue, a 45% increase on a year-over-year basis. Impressively, 2021’s $1.453 billion in revenue was also roughly 50% higher over 2020, meaning this is a compounder with some serious clout. That said, revenue growth has slowed of late, with the company reporting top-line growth of 24.5% for the 12 months ended Oct. 31, 2022.
Growth has slowed further, to just 18%, as pr the company’s recently-released Q3 and fiscal 2023 financial results. Subscription income came in at $624.1 million, an increase of 18% compared to the year prior. Professional services and other revenue registered a boost of 27%, amounting to $21.4 million compared to the same period last year. However, the numbers signify a decrease sequentially, and reflect a general decline in growth for this previous high-flyer.
In addition, the dip in the residential real estate market is a cause for worry. When he published his piece on tech stocks to sell in December, InvestorPlace contributor Larry Ramer made an astute evaluation. That is, that the housing market was among the driving forces behind this organization’s success. The data proves Ramer is right.
Unfortunately, the US housing market saw another decline in December, extending the slump to four consecutive months in 2022. This marked a difficult year for the industry, which experienced its first annual decrease in housing starts since 2009.
Many people, including Larry, used the software when purchasing a house. However, the market downturn has intensified downward pressure on DocuSign, which is why it is on this list of tech stocks to sell.
Opendoor (OPEN)
Opendoor Technologies (NASDAQ:OPEN) is bringing about a revolution in the home-buying process with its disruptive technology. It aims to provide an automated solution for a smoother, quicker, and more convenient buying experience. Accordingly, it’s no surprise to see the influx of investors to this stock, when it made its debut in 2020.
In 2020, when Opendoor made its stock market debut, investors swarmed to the investment opportunity. This was at the pandemic’s peak, when investors were flush with cash and looking for a place to grow it. As a result, the stock did very well during its initial few weeks, surging in value as speculators entered the market.
However, Opendoor’s stock price has hit a rough patch over the past year. This is primarily due to increasingly bearish market sentiment. OPEN stock has lows two-thirds of its value over the past year, with expectations building that more in the way of declines could be on the horizon.
That’s largely due to the widespread aforementioned decline in the real estate market. Higher interest rates have killed this market, with home starts seeing one of the worst declines on record. Redfin anticipates that there will be a 16% decline in the number of existing home sales from 2022 to 2023, resulting in 4.3 million total sales. According to the company’s report, buyers are hesitant to make purchases due to affordability issues such as inflation, higher mortgage rates, and pricey homes, along with the possibility of an economic recession. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) experts are also anticipating a fall in the housing sector by 2023, which could be damaging to those who bought their homes the previous year in 2022.
Undoubtedly, Opendoor’s business model is disruptive. But market trends are going against the stock, making this a top stock to sell in my books right now.
Silvergate Capital Corporation (SI)
Ah, how time flies! It seems like yesterday we were all discussing Silvergate Capital (NYSE:SI), a Californian bank that mainly specializes in cryptocurrency transactions. However, after the epic downturn in the crypto markets and the spectacular collapse of FTX, Silvergate Capital is on the ropes.
On Jan. 17, Silvergate Capital revealed its fiscal Q4 earnings, recording a net loss of $1.0 billion or ($33.16 per share). Average digital asset deposits declined to $7.3 billion from the prior quarter’s $12.0 billion. Following these results, investors have clearly priced in worries about a run on the bank, which could lead to a collapse in Silvergate Capital in short order. Fortunately, this hasn’t occurred yet, due in part to the company’s reported total deposits of $3.8 billion at the end of the quarter.
That said, during the quarter, management reported $5.2 billion in sales of debt and securities at a disadvantageous expense of $718 million, to ensure sufficient liquidity. The firm reported a massive loss, and the company’s stock price reflected this reality as well.
Those who think that this lower stock price provides a great entry point should be warned. The selling pressure with SI stock may be far from over. Many investors didn’t think the company will be able to make it out of this crypto winter. And while Silvergate Capital may continue to sustain itself temporarily on trading fees from its exchange-traded products, it’s unclear how much investor demand will remain for its shares, should another contagion event take place.
On the publication date, Faizan Farooque did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.