Life360 Offers Strong Growth Outlook

This story features LIFE360 INC. For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: 360

Smart phone technology company, Life 360, has performed strongly in the first half and brokers are impressed with the outlook.

-Presents compelling value, given sales forecasts
-Strong execution in monetising the user base
-Further features in the pipeline to enhance the value offer

By Eva Brocklehurst

Business momentum continues for technology company Life360 Inc ((360)) as a record number of users were added in the first half. The company has a globally recognised application (app), whereby families can locate children and connect with them at any point in time via their smart phone, with a significant market opportunity.

The rate of US user acquisition was the highest ever for a six-month period in the first half. Moelis is impressed with this, as the second half of the year is typically stronger because of the timing of school holidays in the northern hemisphere.

Moelis reiterates a Buy rating and US$6.55 target, assessing the stock is presenting compelling value with an enterprise value of 4.2x 2020 sales forecasts. The broker suggests the company is just at the beginning of its monetisation opportunity and further progress on initiatives will be a catalyst for the share price.

Average revenue per "paying circle" in the first half was up by mid single digit percentage points compared with flat prospectus forecasts. Paying circles allow users to create separate groups within the app such as caregivers or extended family. The user's location is only visible to those within the circle.

Revenue was up 114%, representing strong execution in monetising the user base through paying subscriptions. Credit Suisse considers the June update a high quality report as the core subscription businesses are outperforming. While finding comparable companies is challenging, the broker continues to believe the stock screens very attractively in terms of revenue multiples and reiterates an Outperform rating and $5.20 target.

Management remains comfortable with prospectus forecasts for revenue of US$58.6m in 2019. Monthly active users were up 4.6m over the first half and total monthly active users ended the month at 23.1m. Full year revenue guidance is achievable, Credit Suisse asserts, and will be a key catalyst to drive a re-rating. Revenue from the sale of anonymous data is the largest component of the company's indirect revenue and the broker forecasts US$5m in the second half.

Monthly revenue from the Allstate automotive insurance partnership was in line with expectations. This is particularly positive, Moelis believes, as it represents the company's first major attempt to commercialise its proprietary user data through generating leads.

Bell Potter has a Buy rating and $5.93 target and includes the stock as a key pick in its coverage, given the robust growth rate and a strong balance sheet. The broker envisages other revenue opportunities as the company deploys its R&D to build more functionality.

Life360 is based in San Francisco, operating a GPS system platform that offers a range of safety features for families. The app is available in over 160 countries while the US accounts for over half of all users. The app has significant usage in India, Brazil and the UK.

Credit Suisse expects the re-design of the app, launched in April, should assist conversion, while the increased focus on Driver Protect should improve the user base in the second half.

The company is working on further features such as ID theft, personal SOS monitoring, stolen phone reimbursement and emergency evacuation to enhance its offer. Credit Suisse points out putting these additional features into different tiers should accelerate average revenue per paying circle, although this is unlikely to have any meaningful impact on 2019 results.

Find out why FNArena subscribers like the service so much: "Your Feedback (Thank You)" – Warning this story contains unashamedly positive feedback on the service provided.

FNArena is proud about its track record and past achievements: Ten Years On

Click to view our Glossary of Financial Terms