Why Square Is Surviving Thursday’s Market Carnage

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By Chris Lange Published
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Why Square Is Surviving Thursday’s Market Carnage

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When Square Inc. (NYSE: SQ) released fourth-quarter financial results after markets closed Wednesday, the mobile payment company said that it had $0.23 in earnings per share (EPS) and $1.31 billion in revenue. The consensus estimates had called $0.21 in EPS and $1.186 billion in revenue, and the same period of last year reportedly had EPS of $0.14 on $933 million in revenue.

During the most recent quarter, gross payment volume (GPV) increased 25% year over year to $28.6 billion. The GPV from larger sellers grew 33% year over year and accounted for 55% of total GPV, up from 51% in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Transaction-based revenue was $832 million, up 25% year over year, and transaction-based profit was $313 million, up 27%.

Subscription and services-based revenue totaled $281 million in the fourth quarter, up 45% year over year. Also, subscription and services-based gross profit came to $231 million, up 63% in the same period. Hardware revenue was $22 million, up 23% year over year, and hardware generated a gross loss of $18 million.

Looking ahead to the first quarter, the company expects to see EPS in the range of $0.16 to $0.18 and revenue between $1.34 billion and $1.36 billion. Consensus estimates call for $0.16 in EPS and $610.26 million in revenue for the quarter.

[nativounit]

Square stock traded up about 6% at $81.06 Thursday morning, in a 52-week range of $54.41 to $87.25. The consensus price target is $76.22.

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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.

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