Shopify beats expectations in holiday quarter but disappoints with outlook

By Liz Moyer and Scott Kanowsky

Investing.com -- Shares in Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) slumped in pre-market trading on Thursday after the e-commerce platform for businesses unveiled a weaker-than-anticipated financial outlook despite reporting a surprise profit in the fourth quarter.

The group's current quarter financial projections include year-on-year revenue growth in the high-teen percentages. Analysts were projecting that the figure would grow by 23% compared to last year's first quarter, translating to top-line returns of $1.48B.

The financial outlook assumes that a surge in e-commerce demand during the pandemic will continue to ebb throughout this year, Shopify said. Customers are also expected to rein in spending on big-ticket items in response to higher living costs.

"Our perspectives on outlook assume that inflation remains elevated, pushing consumers to discounted and non-discretionary purchases," said chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister in an earnings call with analysts.

However, the Canada-based group posted positive earnings per share of $0.07 in the final three months of 2022, beating predictions of a loss of $0.01. Gross merchandise value - a measure of sales - in the fourth quarter was $61B, up 13% and above the Bloomberg consensus forecast, thanks in part to record demand for merchant's products following the Thanksgiving holiday.

Meanwhile, revenue came in at $1.73 billion, topping estimates of $1.65B. On an annual basis, the number expanded by more than a fifth to $5.6 billion.

"The strength of our Q4 and full year performance in 2022 is a testament to the resilience of our merchants," said Harley Finkelstein, the company's president. "Despite persistent macroeconomic challenges, they continued to succeed on Shopify, growing sales and using more of our mission-critical tools to run their businesses."