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Online betting company Sportradar opened at $27 each on Tuesday.

Everything To Like About The Sportradar IPO

Summary

• Sportradar Group AG is preparing to go public at a valuation of $7.8 billion and will raise over $500 million.
• Sportradar plays an important, though indirect role in the rapidly growing sports betting industry. However, it faces tough competition.
• Sportradar’s finances are in good shape with high growth and a positive net profit, and its valuation appears low relative to competitors.
• Investors should strongly consider this company when it goes public.

Sportradar (NASDAQ:SRAD) has released pricing information about its upcoming IPO.Renaissance Capitalreported on Tuesday that Sportradar “plans to raise $504 million by offering 19 million shares at a price range of $25 to $28,” as well as an additional $159 million concurrent private placement. This will give the Swiss company a valuation of $7.8 billion at the midpoint range.

These numbers may be a tiny disappointment for Sportradar, as it had been reportedly shooting for a$10 billion valuationearlier in the year by undergoing a SPAC. But it is great news for investors, as there is a great deal to like about Sportradar. The sports company is in a market with major growth potential, is profitable, and has been growing rapidly. Concerns remain such as COVID and other competition, but investors should strongly consider getting in on this company as soon as possible especially compared to its main competitors.

Sports Gambling Market Potential

Sports betting has become increasingly accepted and thus a more lucrative market in recent years, as governments have legalized it for the first time.Front Office Sportsreported in June that the US sports betting market could reach $37 billion by 2025 compared to its present value of $9.5 billion. Furthermore, the global sports betting market could reach as much as $144 billion by the same timeframe. And while there are some concerns due to COVID, it is highly unlikely that sports leagues will once again start canceling their events going forward.

Sportradar’s plan is to be the company selling shovels in this betting gold rush. What it intends to sell is information. Sportradar works with sports leagues across the world to help compile sports data. This data helps betting companies set better odds, helps bettors know that the betting company is not making any mistakes, and helps media companies know that they have the right data.

The right data is not just about tracking points, home runs, or touchdowns. Sportradar claims in itsF-1/Athat it tracks “over 1.2 billion live data points per year from over 600,000 events in 37 sports,” which created over 21 billion odds changes. Furthermore, Sportradar has a strong data rights portfolio, as it has partnerships with the NBA, MLB, and NHL among other sports leagues across the world.

These factors point to a company with major growth potential, but then there is the issue of competition. Sportradar’s primary competitor is Genius Sports (NYSE:GENI), which went public this April. After some stumbles a few weeks back, Genius has performed well and has a market cap of $4.23 billion as of the time of writing. While smaller than what Sportradar is aiming for, Genius does have a prized partnership with the NFL and reported a revenue growth of 108% a few days ago perCNBC.

Sportradar will need to show how it can continue to distinguish itself from its competitors like Genius, as well as Stats Perform, IMGArena, and BetConstruct. But the company has a Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate of 138% which shows an ability to keep customers. Furthermore, the massive potential of the sports betting market means that Sportradar will be able to keep growing without having to poach from competitors.

Finances and Valuation

Sportradar’s growth potential is shown by its finances, where it is the rare tech company which can report both high growth and profitability. The company reported a revenue of $318 million in the first half of 2021, up 42% from the same time period last year. This is probably elevated due to the pandemic depressing 2020 revenue as it only grew 6% in 2020, but Sportradar reports a CAGR of 25% going back to 2016. That is a more reasonable yet still sufficient growth rate.

Furthermore, Sportradar reported a net income of over $20 million in the first half of 2021 and has a history of profitability going back to at least 2019. Cash flow is also positive, with a net gain of $67 million in cash from operating activities in the first half of 2021.

Finally, Sportradar reports having $223 million in cash against $967 million in total liabilities. What these numbers show is that Sportradar is rapidly growing, though admittedly not as fast as Genius Sports. But unlike Genius, Sportradar is larger and reports a profit.

The next question thus becomes whether Sportradar is worth $7.8 billion. At that market cap, Sportradar has an enterprise value of about $8.5 billion. If we just extrapolate Sportradar’s revenue for the entire year and presume a revenue of $636 million, this gives an EV/revenue ratio of 13.36. By contrast, Genius Sports has an enterprise value of nearly $4 billion, and its first half 2021 revenue was just $109.5 million. From that metric, Sportradar thus appears to be the safer long-term bet.

Final Thoughts

While there is a great deal to like about Sportradar, that does not suggest that there are no problematic clouds on the horizon. I believe that the current COVID situation, where many are reluctant to go outside but sports games are still ongoing, is an excellent situation for Sportradar as people watching from home are more likely to bet online. But if it worsens and sports events are canceled, that would be problematic. If it improves, people may start going for other entertainment options such as casinos which could hurt Sportradar’s growth.

But Sportradar has shown an ability to consistently grow and is in a market which has major potential almost regardless of the state of COVID. Its financial numbers are in solid shape, and few companies provide a product like what it offers. Finally, its valuation of $7.8 billion is eminently fair, especially by the standards of a typical tech company IPO.

Investors who chase growth above all else may want to consider Genius, especially as Genius’s lockup period expires soon and it is reasonable to expect a decrease in the price then. But for investors interested in a good tech IPO at a reasonable price, Sportradar will be an excellent fit for most.