Snapchat - Keeps surprising!

-Social networking company Snap's (NYSE:SNAP) recent second-quarter earnings release was followed by many upgraded 12-month price targets for the stock from analysts. One revised target stretched as high as $110, translating to nearly 50% upside from where the stock is trading today. Furthermore, many of the price target hikes were featured alongside buying or outperform ratings.

-Capturing the company's improved advertising pricing, Snap said in its second-quarter update that its effective cost per 1,000 total ad impressions (eCPM) soared 122% year over year.

-"Rising eCPM relative to the prior year reflects the rapid rise in overall demand, improved optimization capabilities within our auction, a mix shift toward relatively higher eCPM products, as well as a mix shift toward relatively higher eCPM regions such as North America," said Snap CFO Derek Andersen in the company's second-quarter earnings call.

-Snap's trend of rising cost per 1,000 total ad impressions could persist over the next decade, Ju believes. Of course, the catalyst will decelerate from this quarter's triple-digit growth, as the period benefited from an easy year-ago comparison when marketers were holding back some ad spend as businesses navigated uncertain environments.

-Other analysts similarly cited sustainable growth trends in advertising revenue growth. But some also praised the company's ability to grow its daily active users.

-It's not surprising to see so many analysts growing more optimistic about Snap stock. The company's second quarter was truly exceptional. Revenue soared 116% year over year to $982 million, and the company's daily active users increased 23% year over year to 293 million.

-Furthermore, Snap provided very strong guidance. Management said it expects revenue in the third quarter to increase 58% to 60% year over year. This is quite an extraordinary outlook considering it's on top of 52% growth in the year-ago quarter.