
For a stock that was just starting to experience what a 200% rallyย felt like, the past month has sure been a wake-up call forย Zscaler Inc (NASDAQ: ZS). Having caught the wave of risk-on sentiment that began to sweep equity markets in November, the cyber-security tech stock was unable to maintain the momentum through the end of Q1. This was even as the broader market, andย other tech stocksย in particular continued to see gains.ย
Sure, the benchmark S&P 500 index is currently experiencing its worst selloff of the year, as inflation threatens to make a comeback, but that only started three weeks ago. Zscalerโs 35% drop since the start of February serves as its own reminder to investors: just as tech stocks can outpace the market in a rally, they can undoubtedly outpace it in a selloff.ย
However, with Zscalerโs stockโs relative strength index (RSI) in the low 20s, indicating extremely oversold conditions, the question has to be asked: could we be looking at the mother of all entry opportunities?ย
Reasons to be Bullish
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Beyond the technical indicators supporting this thesis, there are the fundamentals to consider. Zscaler smashed analyst expectations for their Q2 earningsย last month, reporting both a record revenue and earnings per share print. The company also boosted its forward guidance for the entire year, ahead of the consensus; something in and of itself is usually enough to spark a fiery rally.ย
But instead, Zscaler shares have continued to sink and dipped to a new low during Fridayโs session. This has not only undone a large portion of the recovery rally that had been underway since May of last year, but itโs also put them back trading at 2020 levels.ย ย
However, even though the tape might tell its own story, the Wall Street analysts arenโt buying it. Since the start of last month, thereโs been a run of bullish analyst upgrades, comments,ย and price targetsย on the stock that all point toย an upside potentialย thatโs only increasing.ย
Run of Analyst Upgrades
Take JMP Securities, for example, who, in the aftermath of Zscalerโs knockout earnings, reiterated their Market Outperform rating and gave the stock a price target of $270. Rosenblatt Securities took a similar stance, only with a price target of $290. As Zscaler shares have continued to trade down in the weeks since, the teams at Robert W. Baird, Truist, Macquarie, and KeyCorp have all joined the bull camp, and all have price targets well up in the $200s.ย
For those of us on the sidelines, this gives some exciting pause for thought. Zscaler shares closed out last week under $170; against Rosenblattโs price target of $290, thatโs pointing to an upside of 70%. Taking even one of the more recently refreshed price targets, like KeyCorpโs $220 last Thursday, investors can be targeting at least 30% of gains in the near term.ย
Getting Involved
With both the technical indicators andย strong fundamental performanceย underpinning these lofty price targets, thereโs a lot to like about Zscaler right now. Thereโs no doubt that the stock has gotten caught up in the risk-off sentiment that is shaving monthโs worth of gains from equities in just a few weeks, but this is a tech stock that can actually point to some genuinely impressive growth and momentum in all the right spots. If nothing else, consider this: since the first time Zscaler traded at these prices back in 2020, its revenue has more than quadrupled while posting consistent quarter-on-quarter growth.ย ย
In terms of picking a starting point, those of our readers considering a position should watch for a strong day of gains to initiate a bottom. If Zscaler shares can begin to consolidate above that low, if not altogether start an immediate recovery rally, we could be looking at a reasonably strong entry opportunity to take advantage of.
