Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) shares rose more than 1% intra-day today after Macquarie analysts raised the price target on the company to $90 from $72, maintaining an Outperform rating. The analysts highlighted Roku's impressive growth, noting that the platform now has 84 million active accounts, making it the top-selling TV operating system in the U.S., with sales surpassing the combined totals of its next two competitors. The Roku Channel is gaining traction, accounting for 1.7% of total TV viewing time, closely trailing Tubi, the leading free ad-supported TV (FAST) platform, at 1.8%. The analysts believe that The Roku Channel is relatively insulated from the cost-per-thousand (CPM) pricing pressures affecting premium connected TV (CTV) services like Disney+ and Netflix. FAST platforms such as Roku and Tubi have maintained stable CPMs, ranging from the high teens to low $20s. Roku is now focused on better monetizing its large user base by enhancing both its appeal to brand advertisers and its ability to target specific audiences for lower-funnel, performance-based advertising. Roku's home screen reaches 120 million users daily, attracting upper-funnel brand advertisers from beyond the media and entertainment sectors. The company is also collaborating more actively with demand-side platforms (DSPs), including sharing data with The Trade Desk to broaden its demand pool. Additionally, its new Ads Manager tool simplifies access for smaller advertisers, including e-commerce businesses, to target audiences on the platform, potentially boosting ad revenues. Subscription price increases across the streaming services hosted by Roku are also expected to support continued revenue growth.
R oku, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates a TV streaming platform. The company operates in two segments, Platform and Player. Its platform allows users to discover and access various movies and TV episodes, as well as live TV, news sports, shows, and others. As of December 31, 2021, the company had 60.1 million active accounts.