Oh, $SNAP! Invest-A-Gator is Back!

🔔 Opening Bell
Let’s Ring the Opening Bell and Learn Something New Today. In a world of noise and nonsense, smart investors start with signal. Let’s cut through the hype because you're not here for guesses—you’re here to build.

Key macro headlines: Broad tech-equity sentiment continues mixed amid mounting regulatory scrutiny on youth-focused platforms and rising competitive pressure in AR hardware.
For Snap Inc., AR hardware mainly refers to:

• Spectacles: Lightweight smart glasses with AR capabilities (still in development for broader release)

• CameraKit SDK: While not hardware, it powers AR features across platforms and ties into Snap’s future devices

💡 Investor relevance: AR hardware is part of Snap's strategy to move beyond app ads and into physical products with potential long-term monetization via subscriptions, commerce, or B2B AR tools.

💬 Ask & Interact
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🔍 Deep Dive: SNAP (Snap Inc.)

Summary
Snap Inc. is best known for Snapchat, a camera-first messaging platform focused on visual communication and AR experiences for Gen Z. They monetize through advertising, subscriptions (Snapchat+), and augmented reality products like Spectacles and Bitmoji enhancements.

Valuation Metrics

• Price: ~$9.77/share

• Market Cap: approx. $16.58 B

• EPS (Q1 2025): –$0.08 (beat estimate of –$0.13)

• Revenue (Q1 2025): $1.36 B, up ~14% Year over Year (YoY)

• Trailing EPS: –$0.31; next quarter est: –$0.16

Insider Activity

• General Counsel sold ~24,000 shares on July 2; director Ajit Mohan sold ~28,201 shares on July 17–18

• No major insider buys reported; founder voting control remains with Spiegel & Murphy (>95% voting power)
  

Leadership Matters

• CEO Evan Spiegel, Co‑founder since inception in 2011, continues to lead product and AR innovation.

• CTO and co-founder Bobby Murphy also retains significant control. Board recently appointed Jim Lanzone (ex‑Yahoo) in September 2024

Social & Sentiment

• Snapchat reached over 900 M monthly users and 300 M daily AR users in Q1 2025; ~15 M subscribers to Snapchat+ (up ~59% YoY), generating ~$152 M subscription revenue

• Recent Utah lawsuit accuses Snap of addictive features targeting minors—fourth such suit in state aimed at Big Tech

🐊 Gator Sense (Risk Awareness)
Investing involves both predictable and unpredictable risks. From black swan events like pandemics or nuclear war, to more expected risks such as regulation changes or companies fudging their books—no position is ever risk-free.

• Regulatory/legal risk: multiple state lawsuits (e.g. Utah) regarding youth safety are increasing geopolitical and compliance pressure.

• Profitability runway: still unprofitable at EPS ~–$0.31; guidance on Q2 in dark, risks in slowing ad growth.

• Competitive pressure / hardware execution: Spec rollout delays and strong competition from Meta and Apple in AR and hardware.

🚨 Market Movers

• Snap acquired student-focused social calendar app Saturn in June to deepen Gen Z engagement—app remains independent for now.

• CEO announced new lightweight immersive smart glasses (“Specs”) targeting a 2026 launch.

• Utah lawsuit filed June 30, 2025 alleging features designed to addict minors and expose them to harm.

• Analyst upgrades: Bernstein raised target to $10 on July 22; others previously lifted targets mid-July.

• Institutional buying: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Hussman Advisors, Retirement Systems of Alabama increased positions in late June.

🧰 Toolbox
With $100 at ~$9.77/share, you could buy ~10 shares.
This is not financial advice, and you should do your own research before making any investment decisions. The chart below is completely arbitrary and should not be used to make, influence, or be used in any financial decision making.

As a father with a family to support, $100 is a meaningful part of my budget. That's why I've created a visual aid to assess the affordability of stocks like $SNAP from my personal viewpoint. For instance, instead of spending $100 on a weekend outing for my kids and their friends to a VR gaming lounge—something that might last a couple of hours—you could own around 10 shares of a company shaping digital hangouts for that same generation. Though honestly, I might still choose the VR lounge outing—either way I’m making a decision on investing on the experience or equity.

• 5‑Year Price Chart

• Dividend Growth Chart (N/A – no dividend)

🧭 Off‑the‑Grid Insight
Snap's acquisition of Saturn signals a pivot from purely visual communication to functional social planning for Gen Z. If integrated, that could lead to sticky engagement beyond AR lenses and ephemeral messaging—something many investors may overlook.

🐊 The Gator Pit
🧠 _{The Gator Pit Is Coming…}

Right now, there’s no official community space—yet. But I know smart investors like you want a place to connect, compare notes, and sharpen your edge. That’s why I’m working on launching a private group on either Telegram, Discord, or Facebook—and I’d love your input.

👉 Which platform would you prefer? Reply to this email or tap the button below to vote.
A place to swap insights, ask questions, and grow together is on the way. Stay tuned—the Gator Pit opens soon.

That’s All For Now!

See You Later, Invest‑a‑Gator 🐊

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• General Educational Purpose:

  • The information and services I provide are for educational and informational purposes only. They are not intended as financial advice or as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security.

• Personalized Investment Viewpoint:

  • My evaluations reflect my personal investment criteria, strategies, and goals. They are not tailored to any individual's financial situation or objectives.

• No Financial Planning or Asset Management:

  • I do not offer financial planning services or manage assets on behalf of others. All insights and analyses are based solely on my personal investment research and decisions.

• Transparency of Credentials:

  • I am not a certified financial advisor, and I do not possess formal financial education or certifications. My content is based on publicly available data and my personal opinions.

• Use of AI

  • Some content is crafted with the assistance of AI tools to streamline research and writing.