Should I Watch Plug Power?
E nvironmentally friendly companies continue to excel in todays market. Most noticeably, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has had a rocky start but is still up 7% over the past six months and remains the leader in the EV space. Investors looking to jump on board this growing EV megatrend before its too late may want to consider Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG). With a market cap of over $17 billion, the stock is attracting a lot of interest from investors looking for the next big thing. This article was originally written by MyWallSt. Read more market-beating insights from the MyWallSt team here. The bull case for Plug Power  As long-term investors, were always trying to spot the next megatrend in the market to hop on and ride for the next few years. If the past few years have taught us anything, its that investors definitely see a future in the electric vehicle market, with the stock price of Tesla and competitors like NIO shooting up multiples in value. Plug Power is a company that could definitely benefit from this megatrend too. The company designs and produces hydrogen fuel cell systems that replace conventional batteries in machinery powered by electricity. Here are some of the other things we like about Plug Power:  Growth: The company expects its billings to reach $1.7 billion by 2024. The company expects its billings to reach $1.7 billion by 2024. Top tier customer base: Plug Powers clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Walmart, and Nike (NYSE: NKE). Plug Powers partnerships  In early June, Plug Power and Renault declared that their partnership to build hydrogen-powered vans was underway and they will commence production by the end of the year. The two will also be installing hydrogen charging stations in Europe, supplying carbon-free hydrogen, and maintaining fleets. In even more positive news, South Korean-owned SK Group closed a $1.6 billion joint venture investment with the company to expand hydrogen power in Asia. The bear case for Plug Power  The company is notoriously unprofitable, turning out a quarterly profit just once in the last decade. Plug Powers revenue was -$316 million for Q4 and -$100 million for the full year. This negative revenue figure was due to the vesting warrants that the company gave in 2017 to Amazon. By the end of 2020, Plug Power had $780 million in debt on its balance sheet which makes the company particularly vulnerable going forward. The company also faces heightened competition from FuelCell Energy, Ballard Power Systems, and Bloom Energy. Its undeniable that Plug Power is smack-bang in the middle of one of todays biggest megatrends. Management also has a clear, near-term plan of hitting $1 billion in annual gross billings by 2024. However, this figure wont be nearly as impressive if they dont rein in costs at the company. Rough comparisons could be made between the cash burn at Plug Power to Tesla, but the latter has demonstrated that it is finally getting a handle on its costs whereas the former has a long history of doing the opposite. They design and manufacture hydrogen fuel cell systems that replace conventional batteries in equipment and vehicles powered by electricity. Latham, New York, U.S. No, Plug Power does not currently pay a dividend. MyWallSt gives you access to over 100 market-beating stock picks and the research to back them up. Our analyst team posts daily insights, subscriber-only podcasts, and the headlines that move the market. Start your free trial now!