What Makes Airbnb (ABNB) a Potential Investment?

Polen Capital, an investment management company, released its “Polen Global Growth Strategy” first-quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the first quarter, the fund increased 8.10% gross and 7.81% net, respectively, trailing the MSCI ACW Index’s 8.20% return. The market dynamics that were in place at the end of last year persisted in many respects during the first quarter. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2024.

Polen Global Growth Strategy featured stocks like Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) in the first quarter 2024 investor letter. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) operates a platform that connects hosts and guests. On April 18, 2024, Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) stock closed at $160.10 per share. One-month return of Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) was -6.67%, and its shares gained 35.65% of their value over the last 52 weeks. Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) has a market capitalization of $99.797 billion.

Polen Global Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:

“During the quarter, we initiated new positions in Sage Group and Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) and added to our existing position in Globant.

Airbnb is a great business model, according to our research, due to its two-sided global network effects. For several reasons, Airbnb has a better mousetrap with its supply growth engine, with its hosts having a far lower cost of capital and more flexibility than hotels. We think private rentals should continue to grow their share of overall accommodation stays, potentially up to 30% of lodging or higher over the long term, letting the private rental gross booking value grow at a low double-digit rate. We also think Airbnb should continue to gain share within the private rental market as its global network effects strengthen, allowing for mid-teens revenue growth. With flat to rising margins over time, significant free cash flow generation, and a management team that has demonstrated its owner orientation, this should result in high-teens EPS growth over time. While the path there will not be linear, and it is a more discretionary spending-tied business, we think the long-term secular growth opportunity is very compelling.”

A vacation home luxury bedroom setup with stunning decor showing a desired getaway experience.

Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. At the end of the fourth quarter, Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) was held by 50 hedge fund portfolios, compared to 44 in the previous quarter, according to our database.

We previously discussed Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) in another article, where we shared the list of biggest gig economy companies in the world. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2024 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.