Just when many companies began anticipating welcoming employees back to the office, the Omicron variant has caused some to reconsider. Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Ford (NYSE:F) are two examples of companies that just announced they are delaying their return-to-work plans.
But the repercussions of the pandemic extend beyond concerns about the health and well being of employees. In some cases, employees have used the pandemic as an opportunity to reconsider their career plans. Some started a business and are continuing to pursue that path. Some got additional education. And some are simply taking advantage of the growing number of individuals retiring early.
Successful investors put their emotions aside and look to profit from existing opportunities. That’s the case with remote work stocks. In this article, we give you three quality stocks that have significant upside heading into 2022.
1. Etsy
As we mentioned in the introduction, the pandemic was a catalyst for turning hobbies into side hustles; and side hustles into full-blown businesses. And that is reflected in the revenue and earnings gains at Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY).
Etsy last reported earnings on Nov. 3. Through three quarters, the company’s revenue of $1.6 billion is on pace to easily beat the company’s full-year 2020 revenue of $1.72 billion. And it’s the same story with earnings that through three quarters are $2.30 per share as opposed to the full-year EPS of $2.63 in 2020.
This confirms that rather than drop off as the economy reopened, Etsy has seen sales grow. And the company is now in the quarter that has historically been its largest revenue generator. Plus, the company is unlikely to be inhibited by the supply chain difficulties.
Analysts give Etsy stock a consensus price target of $259.14, a gain of over 22% from its current price. Some investors are concerned about recent insider selling. But remember, executives have many reasons to sell a stock. The fundamentals of Etsy look strong.
2. Workday
Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY) stock is up 24% since the summer sell-off. At the time, the sell-off was hard to understand. The company provides cloud applications that allow its customers to manage critical business functions and optimize financial and human resources functions on an enterprise level.
With employees headed back to the office, some initial concern was that growth was slowing down. However, that hasn’t been the case, and analysts agree. The company has a subscription model, which has catalyzed revenue and earnings growth. In the company’s last earnings report, the company’s revenue from subscription services was 21% higher on a year-over-year basis.
Workday has a consensus price target of $334.11, a 22% increase from its current price.
3. DocuSign
DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU) has been one of the biggest losers during earnings season. Shareholders have seen DOCU stock drop over 40% after an earnings report that was fine on the surface. However, analysts were already concerned about DocuSign’s lofty valuation. And when the company’s forward guidance was lower than expected, it provided a reason to sell the stock.
But it does appear the stock quickly found a bottom, and DOCU stock is up 5% since the sell-off. The company’s underlying business model is not going away. After all, companies that have adopted the company’s electronic document delivery service aren’t likely to abandon it. And when you look at the company’s revenue retention rate of 121%, it’s clear that customers are not just retaining the company’s service; in some cases, they are upgrading.
Despite several analysts lowering their price targets, DocuSign still has a price target of $260.13, which gives the stock an upside of over 80%.