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PDD Gains 66.9% in a Month: Can E-commerce Momentum Drive the Stock?

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PDD Holdings (PDD - Free Report) shares have appreciated 66.9% in the past month, outperforming the industry’s rally of 12.3% and the S&P 500 index’s return of 5.4%. This China-based company has been enjoying short-term gains of late, thanks to the latest stimulus measures announced by the People’s Bank of China to revive flagging economic growth in China.

The measures include interest rate cuts, which would reduce borrowing costs and prevent scores of debt-laden property owners. Secondly, the central bank will ease restrictions on borrowing to invest in stocks and shares on China exchanges.

PDD’s strength in its e-commerce business model, thanks to its robust Pinduoduo platform, is noteworthy. 

The company’s strong positioning in the agriculture field is another plus. It seizes the growing business opportunities in agriculture by leveraging its Pinduoduo platform, via which it promotes the digital inclusion of smallholder farmers.

Such an impressive short-term return has made investors wonder if it is the right time to buy or stay the course.

One-Month Price Performance

 

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Attractive Valuation: Silver Linings for PDD

PDD Holdings is currently trading at a discount with a forward 12-month Price/Earnings of 11.94X compared with the industry’s 16.89X and lower than the median of 16.98X. This indicates a solid opportunity for investors.

 

Zacks Investment Research
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E-commerce Business Drives PDD’s Growth

Solid momentum in the Pinduoduo platform on the back of a wide range of product offerings, which include agricultural produce, apparel, shoes, mother and childcare products, food and beverage, electronic appliances, furniture, and household goods, is primarily driving PDD Holdings’ e-commerce business growth.

The platform helps the company to cater to the growing online retail penetration. In this regard, PDD’s strong promotional activities help boost customer engagement on its e-commerce platform.

In order to expand Pinduoduo’s offerings, it is continuously strengthening its relationship with top brands, and small and medium merchants worldwide.

The company’s continuous efforts to tailor fulfillment solutions in different markets in order to improve supply-chain efficiency and reduce costs are major positives.

PDD Holdings’ deepening focus on technical advancement across its products and services is a plus. The company intends to spend RMB 10 billion in 2024, its second straight year of investment at this scale.

PDD’s strengthening Temu platform, which is an innovative online marketplace capitalizing on online ads, social media, coupon codes, and games to attract and retain users, is another positive.

On the supply side, the company provides strong support for quality merchants and brands to direct more traffic to high-quality products through the 10 Billion Program and fresh sales. This is a plus.

The company’s strong positioning in the agriculture field on the back of Pinduoduo, which promotes the digital inclusion of smallholder farmers, is a positive.

PDD Holdings’ strong partnerships with local communities, shops, farmers and agri-merchants are noteworthy. It is also supporting the new generation of farmers and merchants who are skilled in both agriculture and e-commerce.

PDD’s strong efforts to bolster its global business by expanding its supply chain, legal compliance and service capabilities bode well.

To summarize, the company’s strong e-commerce business, with a growing focus on agriculture produces, reflects solid top-line growth potential over the long run. Also, its increasing relationships with various merchants and technical advancements are expected to boost its overall performance.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PDD Holdings’ 2024 revenues is pegged at $55.73 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 60.9%.

PDD’s Earnings Estimates Trend Down

Recessionary fears, market volatility and challenging conditions in China's economy do not bode well for the PDD stock despite its solid e-commerce momentum, macroeconomic uncertainties, changing consumption patterns and consumer demand.

Escalating tensions between the United States and China are concerning. Although this geo-political technological war is not directly related to the e-commerce industry, its residual effect does not bode well for PDD and other similar companies.

PDD Holdings faces stiff competition in the domestic and international e-commerce markets. Its global business is still in the exploration stage, and therefore, it continues to reel under competitive pressure from behemoths like Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) , eBay (EBAY - Free Report) and Alibaba (BABA - Free Report) .

All these factors are making investors somewhat jittery about the stock, which is reflected in the downward revision in PDD’s earnings estimates.

The consensus mark for 2024 earnings stands at $11.95 per share, suggesting growth of 82.2% from the year-ago actual. However, the estimate has been revised downward by 3% over the past 60 days.

 

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Final Take

PDD Holdings’ booming e-commerce business and deepening focus on agricultural produce present a compelling investment opportunity.

However, intensifying competition and a weak China economy are risks for the company.  Macroeconomic headwinds and changing consumption patterns do not bode well. Despite the company’s solid fundamentals and long-term growth prospects, these near-term headwinds suggest that investors should approach the stock with a degree of prudence.

For now, holding on to the PDD stock seems like the most prudent course of action.

PDD Holdings currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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