Vote Now! Facebook vs. Goldman Sachs—Which One Will Advance?
By: There's growing optimism surrounding the monetization efforts of Facebook, Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson told CNBC on Wednesday. He warned, however, of emerging signs that its reach may be slipping—especially among younger users.
In the last six months, Facebook stock has increased 14 percent, but that gain only cuts in half the losses for the past 52 weeks. The 12-month price target at Pacific Crest is $28.58, which would represent an 8 percent rise from current levels.
In our "Squawk Box Money Madness" Wednesday match-up, bottom-seed Facebook plays New York-based Goldman Sachs in our East region.
Roger Freeman, financial analyst at Barclays, said that improved regulatory clarity has contributed to a more upbeat tone—driving shares of Goldman nearly 17 percent higher year-to-date. But Freeman has a fairly conservative price target of $155, which would be an increase of 4 percent from here.
Now it's your turn to weigh-in on whether Facebook or Goldman should go through to the next round. Vote in our poll on the "Squawk Box" Facebook page.
(Vote Now! Goldman Sachs vs. Facebook)
Like in "March Madness" basketball, the best performers year-to-date face the worst performers. Our "Squawk 16" stocks were chosen among the top-clicked ticker symbols on CNBC.com.
Meanwhile, BlackBerry prevailed in a close race Tuesday with 53 percent of the vote against another struggling smartphone maker, Nokia.
(Recap: BlackBerry Beats Out Rival Nokia)
So remember to vote in Wednesday's match-up of Facebook vs. Goldman Sachs. You can find the poll on our "Squawk Box" Facebook page.
—By CNBC's Matthew J. Belvedere; Follow him on Twitter @Matt_SquawkCNBC
Disclosures: Pacific Crest has received compensation for investment banking services from FB in the past 12 months. Pacific Crest makes a market in the shares of FB. Barclays Bank PLC and/or an affiliate has received compensation for investment banking services from GS in the past 12 months. Goldman Sachs is, or during the past 12 months has been, an investment banking client of Barclays Bank PLC and/or an affiliate.—
