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Investing.com -- As Japan’s internet and media sector navigates through projected economic stagnation in 2025, Morgan Stanley has identified companies positioned to deliver strong performance despite market challenges.
Their analysis highlights businesses with robust growth strategies, margin improvement initiatives, and diverse revenue streams that can withstand macroeconomic headwinds.
Recruit stands out as Morgan Stanley’s top pick, emphasizing its focus on margin improvement amid revenue concerns. The company has outlined plans for profit growth even if revenues decline, with significant upside potential when market conditions improve.
Recruit’s diverse business portfolio provides multiple avenues for earnings expansion, with its HR Tech division consistently outperforming market expectations. Investors can also expect high shareholder returns, adding to its appeal as the leading stock in this sector.
In recent news, Recruit Holdings received an upgrade to Buy from Goldman Sachs, which cited monetization initiatives at its Indeed platform. The company also announced plans to reduce its workforce at Indeed and Glassdoor as it increases its focus on artificial intelligence.
Kakaku.com earns the second position with projected double-digit year-over-year growth in both sales and operating profit over the next three years. This growth is primarily driven by restaurant digital transformation initiatives and monetization of its Kyujin Box platform.
Morgan Stanley notes multiple revenue growth models are already in place, creating high confidence in continued sales and profit expansion. The pivotal Kyujin Box continues to exceed guidance, suggesting potential upside to current earnings forecasts and mid-term plans.
Kakaku.com reported strong first-quarter results, with sales rising 24% and operating profit increasing 4.9% year-over-year, exceeding consensus forecasts.
MonotaRO receives an upgrade to Overweight from Morgan Stanley, citing sustained mid-term growth in the absence of clear competitors. In the B2B e-commerce MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operations) domain, the company’s overall service quality—including product range and logistics capabilities—is described as exceptionally high. Despite relatively high valuation metrics, analysts believe MonotaRO’s consistent profit growth and company quality justify further upside potential.
Jefferies recently upgraded its rating on MonotaRO to Hold from Underperform, describing the change as a valuation-based decision.
Rakuten rounds out the list with Morgan Stanley highlighting continued mobile subscriber and profit growth that appears undervalued in the current stock price. The mobile division benefits from an enhanced pricing advantage amid competitors’ price hikes. Analysts suggest positive stock price movement even if Rakuten eventually follows industry trends with its own price increases.
The company’s e-commerce division continues expanding sales and profits with structural market growth, while its financial services segment demonstrates clear synergies with e-commerce operations and stable profit expansion across business lines.
Rakuten has received positive analyst coverage, with Nomura upgrading the company to Buy and JPMorgan initiating coverage with an Overweight rating, both citing growth prospects in its mobile segment.
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