Is Etsy A Better E-Commerce Play Than Amazon?

Etsy Inc ETSY investors were smiling Wednesday after a 25-percent surge in the stock, and one pro told CNBC Thursday that the stock could grow at a faster rate than Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN's in the long term. 

Amazon And Etsy: Apples And Oranges

Etsy's stock soared Wednesday in reaction to the company's strong third-quarter earnings report and is now up nearly 150 percent in 2018 and more than fivefold since its late 2016 lows, CNBC's "Trading Nation."

Amazon has transformed over the years to become more than a pure play e-commerce company, and its biggest growth driver in the coming years is within the cloud, Gilbert said. 

A look at the options market suggests a 25-percent likelihood Etsy's stock could be "cut in half" over the next year, Gilbert said. Investors fortunate enough to get in early on Etsy may want to consider adding put options as a form of protection, she said. 

Etsy 'Could Very Well Grow Faster'

Etsy's stock rally Wednesday makes it difficult for investors to participate in further upside, especially with the stock trading near the $53 resistance level, Newton Advisors President Mark Newton said during the "Trading Nation" segment.

Amazon's stock is down 15 percent from its highs and the chart is showing a "fair share of technical deterioration," he said. 

Newton said he prefers Amazon's stock for a one week period as a momentum play, but over the longer term Etsy "could very well grow faster."

Etsy CEO: 'Meaningful Mission'

Etsy's gross merchandise sales grew by 20 percent last quarter, CEO Josh Silverman told CNBC's Jim Cramer Wednesday.

Despite the prospect of Amazon — and its Etsy rival Amazon Handmade — opening a New York City headquarters, Silverman told Cramer the e-commerce company remains confident. 

"We think we've got the best team, certainly, in tech companies on the eastern seaboard," the CEO said. "We continue to attract great talent, and the reason is, first and foremost, I think our mission is really a meaningful, important mission, and that matters." 

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Photo courtesy of Etsy.