Plug Power, wallstreet:online, AMS - Follow the trend!

Trading boom without borders

In Germany, the spectre of a banking crisis has been haunting the country for years which may well be true for universal banks, but not for those who earn their bread and butter with securities trading. Since the lockdown in March, online brokers have recorded enormous increases in both transactions and new customer business. In December 2019, just in time for the corona trading boom, the Smartbroker went online. It belongs to wallstreet:online capital AG, in which wallstreet:online AG holds a stake of around 43% and is expected to hold the majority in the future. The goal is to turn the users that wallstreet:online has built up over the years, both through organic growth and through acquisitions of sites such as Ariva.de, Finanznachrichten.de and boersennews.de, into actively trading customers.

Optimistic about the future

The Berliners seem to have bet on precisely the right horse here. The plan is to have a base of 140,000 customers by the end of the year. By 2024, the number of active customers is expected to increase to 420,000, which would mean a turnover of EUR 39.0 million and an EBIT of EUR 27.0 million for the Smartbroker alone. The entire wallstreet:online family would thus climb to EUR 75.0 million revenues and EBIT of EUR 39.0 million. Currently, the stock market value is EUR 192.0 million, which is by far not too expensive compared to the competition.

Explosion to a new high

With a full plus of 16.15%, the Plug Power share went out of trading on Tuesday, which at the same time meant a new all-time high. Other Companies dedicated to fuel cell technology, such as Ballard Power or FuelCell Energy, also shot through the roof. The reason was a bill by the US Senator from Washington, Brad Hawkins. The plan is to start an eight-year state-wide pilot project that would provide a tax break for buyers of hydrogen fuel cell powered electric cars.

Washington as a role model

The first hydrogen filling stations in Washington State, for example, are expected to be ready for operation as early as 2022. This law could thus provide a total of 650 vehicles with a 50 percent tax credit between 2023 and 2029. According to Senator Hawkins, the people of central-northern Washington have been leaders in the field of clean energy for years. New efforts by the state to promote renewable hydrogen and zero-emission vehicles will help keep the innovative projects going. The draft law was widely approved. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be enormously influential in the future of a low carbon transport sector.

Dependence as a problem

Last year, AMS, an Austrian sensor specialist, became known through the EUR 4 billion takeover of the traditional Munich-based Company Osram. AMS, based in Premstätten in Styria, achieved high growth rates with one customer in particular - smartphone giant Apple. This increased dependency could now backfire because the Company from Cupertino is turning around. Starting this year, the new iPhone models will be equipped with so-called direct-time-of-flight 3D sensors for the rear cameras. These have lower power consumption and have the ability to adapt to more complicated environmental scenarios. The previous standard was the indirect-time-of-flight 3D sensors, which, in addition to disadvantages in application possibilities, also require significantly more energy.

In the clamp

The Austrians currently only offer indirect time-of-flight 3D products, which are installed by Samsung. If the Android smartphones were to switch to the newer sensors as well, AMS would have an enormous sales problem. In the past two trading days, the share price crashed from CHF 25 to less than CHF 19. The analyst firms are divided. Bankhaus Lampe, for example, expressed scepticism about further cooperation with Apple. On the other hand, the experts from Hauck & Aufhäuser are leaving the AMS share at "buy" with a price target of CHF 32.