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Facebook investors are facing 3 big questions (FB)

Shares of Facebook are up 21.5% so far this year and 439% since bottoming in 2013.

Oculus Virtual Reality

Facebook stock has been a huge winner in the current bull market. The stock is up 21.5% this year and 439% since bottoming out at the beginning of 2013.

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In a report circulated on March 17, a team of analysts at UBS led by Eric J. Sheridan suggest the party can keep going as long as Facebook can answer three major questions:

The bank believes the answer to the first question is yes. The analysts think Facebook can continue to grow their ad revenue at not just 25%, but around 28% per year through 2019. According to UBS, the two big driving factors behind Facebook's advertising growth will be Instagram, growing at a projected rate of about 47%, and mobile, in particular, mobile-video advertising. Facebook is seen as the leader in mobile video, and that is huge according to UBS.

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The company is planning to strengthen its lead in video. During the Q4 2016 Facebook earnings call CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted:

On the second question, UBS is bullish on Facebook's emerging businesses like Messenger, WhatsApp, and Oculus, but sees them more as long-term investments that should yield substantial returns if properly managed.

UBS agrees with Facebook that the best way to monetize Messenger and WhatsApp is through business applications, rather than traditional advertising.

On the same earnings call Zuckerberg added:

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Facebook plans to sell all of their Oculus VR hardware at cost. Profits are expected to come from royalties paid by game and app developers who wish to sell their products on the Oculus platform. Facebook also intends to eventually integrate social media into the VR platform. Players will be able to use old-school Facebook in addition to new virtual reality meeting rooms where friends can "meet up" in a virtual lounge to watch videos, listen to music, and play social games.

The third question posed by UBS was on margins over the next few years. Facebook has done a very good job of setting guidance that is neither too conservative nor too hopeful, keeping investors happy come earnings time.

For 2017, Facebook provided guidance suggesting considerable investment increases that could cut into margins. However, UBS believes that Facebook may be overly conservative on these numbers' impact on profits, considering Facebook would have to hire new employees at nearly double the rate of the last two years. Therefore, UBS is bullish on margins and thinks that Facebook is being modest in their guidance.

Overall, UBS is very positive on the future of Facebook. The bank has a $165.00 price target on the stock, 18% higher than the March 17 closing price of $

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o get the most recent real-time Facebook quote, click here.

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