Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News
      South Africa is behind its neighbours on the plumbing of digital IDs

      South Africa is behind its neighbours on the plumbing of digital IDs

      11 September 2026
      South Africa to extradite US cyberfraud-gang suspects to US

      South Africa to extradite cyberfraud-gang suspects to US

      11 September 2026
      Newspaper group Caxton deploys AI editors

      Newspaper group Caxton deploys AI copy editors

      11 September 2026
      So, who exactly will buy Apple's R50 000 iPhone Duo

      Why Apple can’t tell you who its R50 000 iPhone is for

      11 September 2026
      'There are no adults in the room': the AI safety exodus

      ‘There are no adults in the room’: the AI safety exodus

      11 September 2026
    • World
      'This is not circular': Jensen Huang defends $3.5-billion MediaTek deal

      ‘This is not circular’: Jensen Huang defends $3.5-billion MediaTek deal

      2 September 2026
      AI-generated music banned from Australian charts

      AI-generated music banned from Australian charts

      26 August 2026
      Traders brace for a R4.5-trillion swing in Nvidia's value

      Traders brace for a R4.5-trillion swing in Nvidia’s value

      25 August 2026
      Russia building its own Starlink - and faster than expected - Vadym Skibitskyi

      Russia building its own Starlink – and faster than expected

      11 August 2026
      Meta AI will now tell parents if their teen is in crisis

      Meta AI will now tell parents if their teen is in crisis

      17 July 2026
    • In-depth
      Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. Image: John Sears

      The plan to stop AI from breaking the world

      16 July 2026
      The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem

      The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem

      15 July 2026
      AI boom sparks rally, frenzy and fear

      AI boom sparks rally, frenzy and fear

      11 June 2026
      Every plug-in hybrid on sale in South Africa, ranked by price - Lamborghini Temerario

      Every plug-in hybrid on sale in South Africa, ranked by price

      7 June 2026
      What Wi-Fi 8 will mean for wireless networks

      What Wi-Fi 8 will mean for wireless networks

      1 June 2026
    • TCS
      Meet the CIO | Shoprite's Chris Shortt on what a supermarket becomes

      Meet the CIO | Shoprite’s Chris Shortt on what a supermarket becomes

      9 September 2026
      Rubicon's EV charging network is profitable - and growing fast - Watts & Wheels

      Rubicon’s EV charging network is profitable – and growing fast

      8 September 2026
      Winstone Jordaan on building a national EV charging network

      Winstone Jordaan on building a national EV charging network

      2 September 2026
      Watts & Wheels S1E8: 'Tesla lands in Africa, just not here'

      Watts & Wheels S1E8: ‘Tesla lands in Africa, just not here’

      24 August 2026
      TCS | Herotel CEO Van Zyl Botha on beating Starlink to South Africa

      TCS | Herotel CEO Van Zyl Botha on beating Starlink to South Africa

      14 August 2026
    • Opinion
      The fragile joint in the Capitec machine - Pambos Soteriades

      The R197-billion market the banks can’t reach

      25 August 2026
      South African tech's compounding debt problem - Jannie van Zyl

      Management consulting as we know it is over

      21 August 2026
      South African tech's compounding debt problem - Jannie van Zyl

      The most dangerous customer is the quiet one

      10 August 2026
      South African tech's compounding debt problem - Jannie van Zyl

      South African tech’s compounding debt problem

      29 July 2026
      The fragile joint in the Capitec machine - Pambos Soteriades

      Best network, worst vibes: the puzzle of SA telecoms

      20 July 2026
    • Company Hubs
      • 1Stream
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • Ascent Technology
      • AvertITD
      • BBD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CM.com
      • Contactable
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • HOSTAFRICA
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • IQbusiness
      • Iris Network Systems
      • Kaspersky
      • LSD Open
      • Mitel
      • NEC XON
      • Netstar
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Telviva
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Vodacom Business
      • Vox
      • Wipro
      • Workday
      • XLink
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Financial services
      • HealthTech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Policy and regulation
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Satellite communications
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
      • Watts & Wheels
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Top » Facebook likely to see off Snapchat threat

    Facebook likely to see off Snapchat threat

    By Agency Staff19 September 2016
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    Get breaking news on WhatsApp

    facebook-640

    Facebook still has its friends on Wall Street.

    While some investors have voiced concern in recent months over the social media giant’s ability to withstand competition from rivals and continue to grow advertising revenue, Citigroup analysts figure Facebook passes the bank’s “stress test”. In a note published on Sunday, they boost their price target on the stock from US$148 to $158.

    “In recent months, investors have grown concerned about the possible slowdown in ad load growth and the potential threat posed by Snapchat on Facebook’s user and user engagement growth,” Citi analysts led by Mark May wrote in the report.

    “We analysed these concerns by stress-testing key underlying Facebook model assumptions and concluded that Street forecasts not only appear reasonable but also potentially conservative.”

    Analysts covering social media companies look at engagement and active user numbers to get a sense of where things are heading and thus where advertising dollars might be spent in the future. Facebook has continued to show strong growth despite the rise in competition, while other social media platforms have struggled.

    In their research, Citi found that worries over slower growth in ad load — or the number of ads that appear in Facebook users’ news feeds — have been “overblown”. To meet current estimates on Wall Street, ad load only needs to grow in the single digits, Citi said, and the analysts expect it to increase by a fair amount more than that.

    When it comes to engagement trends in the face of Snapchat’s rising appeal among younger users in particular, things don’t look too bad either. Citi says data from third-party data firm Sensor Tower, as well as its own analysis based on daily active users, shows that the average time spent on the Facebook app as well as Instagram “continues to rise”.

    The analysts are predicting overall engagement growth for 2017, 2018 and 2019, of 0,9%, 0,5% and 0,6% respectively.

    Morgan Stanley published a similar note in July arguing that Facebook was shrugging off the Snapchat threat.

    Others are not in agreement, however. Andrew Left of Citron Research, for instance, thinks the social media giant is more fragile to competition, and that analysts are too optimistic on its future. Expectations of Facebook’s growth have “outpaced the realities of what they’re going to face in the next 12 to 24 months”, he said in a July interview on Bloomberg TV.

    Right now there are 43 buy ratings, six holds and one sell, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

    The average price target is $155,25, and Facebook closed at $129 on Friday.  — (c) 2016 Bloomberg LP

    Add TechCentral as a preferred source on GoogleFollow TechCentral on Google NewsGet breaking news on WhatsApp


    Andrew Left Citigroup Citron Research Facebook Morgan Stanley Sensor Tower
    WhatsApp YouTube
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleVodacom Smart Kicka 2 review: sweet deal
    Next Article 27 December 2016 declared a holiday

    Related Posts

    Meta's new AI agent can spend your money on your behalf - Mark Zuckerberg

    Meta’s new AI agent can spend your money on your behalf

    9 September 2026
    Meta wins by settling

    Meta wins by settling

    27 August 2026
    Facebook and Instagram are getting nighttime curfews for children

    Facebook and Instagram are getting nighttime curfews for children

    26 August 2026
    Company News
    Why businesses are moving n8n onto their own servers - Domains.co.za

    Why businesses are moving n8n onto their own servers

    11 September 2026
    Nitda, NDPC and Galaxy Backbone back CyFrica 2026

    Nitda, NDPC and Galaxy Backbone back CyFrica 2026

    11 September 2026
    Can an online school produce a scientist? CambriLearn has an independent answer

    Can an online school produce a scientist? CambriLearn has an independent answer

    9 September 2026
    Opinion
    The fragile joint in the Capitec machine - Pambos Soteriades

    The R197-billion market the banks can’t reach

    25 August 2026
    South African tech's compounding debt problem - Jannie van Zyl

    Management consulting as we know it is over

    21 August 2026
    South African tech's compounding debt problem - Jannie van Zyl

    The most dangerous customer is the quiet one

    10 August 2026

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Latest Posts
    South Africa is behind its neighbours on the plumbing of digital IDs

    South Africa is behind its neighbours on the plumbing of digital IDs

    11 September 2026
    South Africa to extradite US cyberfraud-gang suspects to US

    South Africa to extradite cyberfraud-gang suspects to US

    11 September 2026
    Newspaper group Caxton deploys AI editors

    Newspaper group Caxton deploys AI copy editors

    11 September 2026
    Why businesses are moving n8n onto their own servers - Domains.co.za

    Why businesses are moving n8n onto their own servers

    11 September 2026
    © 2009 - 2026 NewsCentral Media
    Built and maintained by Chronon
    • Cookie policy (ZA)
    • TechCentral – privacy and Popia

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Manage consent

    TechCentral uses cookies to enhance its offerings. Consenting to these technologies allows us to serve you better. Not consenting or withdrawing consent may adversely affect certain features and functions of the website.

    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    • Manage options
    • Manage services
    • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
    • Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    • {title}
    • {title}
    • {title}