Shopify is now a hold

Article Excerpt

SHOPIFY INC. $123.30 (Toronto symbol SHOP; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (613- 241-2828; www.shopify.ca; Shares o/s: 90.7 million; Market cap: $12.2 billion; No dividend) took a drop in early October after Citron Research— a stock commentary website and short seller—issued a report criticizing the company’s sales development practices. Citron has had some success in the past with its short selling, most notably with Valeant Pharmaceuticals. However, fast-growing companies like Shopify often confound critics and go on to great success, even when their growth seems exceptionally rapid. We sometimes recommend selling half of an aggressive stock that has doubled—like Shopify has for us since we first recommended it in our February 2017 issue at $66.17. However, we still think the shares have room to rise. Meanwhile, at least in the short term, the highprofile attacks by Citron could weigh on the stock, and slow its sales to online start-ups. For now, we see Shopify as a hold. hold…