Investing

Buy into Box? Traders are split

Buy into Box IPO? Traders are split
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Buy into Box IPO? Traders are split

Is Box a buy? Venture capitalist Rick Heitzmann, whose firm is a major investor in Pinterest, is a believer in Box.

Despite Box's surge of as much as 70 percent in its trading debut on Friday, the CNBC "Fast Money Halftime Report" traders are split on whether it's worth playing.

In an interview Friday, Heitzmann, FirstMark Capital managing director and founder, said he views Box as a buy and hold opportunity.

"Although unprofitable now, Box outlined long-term operating margins which leads to significant profitability," Heitzmann said.

Short Hills Capital's Steve Weiss is cautiously optimistic about Box.

"As long as they live up to what they have said they would, in terms of guidance, it's the only way to play this right now in the public market," he said.

But it wasn't all optimism for the cloud storage company.

Box co-counders Aaron Levie (C) and Dylan Smith (2nd R) celebrate their company's IPO on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Jan. 23, 2015.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Biltmore Capital Advisors' Tyler Vernon was skeptical about the business model.

"This is a really tough play," he said. "Every year, storage gets cheaper and cheaper and I think as a business that's a tough revenue model, when going against players like Amazon and Apple."

Ritholtz Wealth Management's Josh Brown isn't touching the stock.

"They're dead. It's a really great idea. Doesn't make it a great business," Brown said.

His concerns stem from Box's balance sheet. "They're not making any money and they don't plan on anytime soon," he said.

"I don't hate the company," he added. "I just wouldn't buy the stock."

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