Is Slowing Sequential User Growth Really That Bad for Twitter?

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
Is Slowing Sequential User Growth Really That Bad for Twitter?

© Thinkstock

Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) reported its third-quarter financial results on Thursday before the opening bell. The firm said that it had $0.04 in earnings per share (EPS) and $936 million in revenue, which compares with consensus estimates that called for $0.06 in EPS and revenue of $777.15 million. The same period of last year reportedly had EPS of $0.05 on $823.72 million in revenue.

In the latest quarter, total revenues increased 14% year over year. At the same time, costs and expenses totaled $880 million, an increase of 13% year over year. This consisted of US revenue increasing 10% year over year to $513 million and International revenue growing 18% to $424 million.

Overall, the rise in revenue in the quarter reflected an increase in total ad engagements and the dropping costs for these engagements. Total ad engagements increased 27% year over year, and cost per engagement decreased 9%.

Average monetizable daily active users (mDAU) totaled 187 million for the third quarter, compared to 145 million in the same period of the previous year and to 186 million in the previous quarter. In terms of a percentage, Twitter grew mDAU by 29.0% year over year.

Management noted advertisers significantly increased their investment on Twitter in the third quarter, engaging its larger audience around the return of events as well as increased and previously delayed product launches, ultimately driving revenue even higher.

[nativounit]

On the books, cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaled $7.68 billion at the end of the quarter, versus $6.64 billion at the end of the previous fiscal year.

The company did not issue any real concrete guidance for the fourth quarter in its report but analysts are calling for $0.23 in EPS on $1.05 billion in revenue.

Twitter stock last closed at $52.43, with a 52-week range of $20.00 to $52.93. The consensus price target is $40.99. Following the announcement, the stock was down 11% at $46.50 in the after-hours session.

[wallst_email_signup]

Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618