LinkedIn Earnings Solid; Outlook Not So Much

LinkedIn provided fourth-quarter guidance for revenues in the range of $600 million to $605 million and adjusted EBITDA between $153 million and $155 million. Third-quarter adjusted EBITDA came in at $151 million. Adjusted EPS is forecast at $0.49. The consensus estimate for fourth-quarter revenues is currently $611.55 million and the EPS estimate is $0.52.

For the full year, LinkedIn forecast revenues in the range of $2.175 billion to $2.18 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to total about $566 million to $568 million, and adjusted EPS is forecast at $1.89. Consensus estimates call for revenues of $2.18 billion and EPS of $1.87.

The company’s CFO said:

LinkedIn demonstrated strength in the third quarter, leveraging the scale created by our member network to deliver growth across all three product lines. We continue to make aggressive investments in our member and customer platforms in order to realize our long-term potential.

Second-quarter revenues rose in all three of the company’s businesses. Talent solutions revenue rose 45% year-over-year, marketing solutions revenue also rose 45% and premium subscriptions revenue rose 43%.

At the end of the second quarter, LinkedIn’s outlook called for EPS of $0.47 on revenues of $543 million to $547 million. The company easily topped those estimates. The increased guidance for the fourth quarter does not match the consensus estimates, which will hold back investor enthusiasm somewhat.

LinkedIn shares traded up about 2.5% in after-hours trading Thursday, at $207.95. The stock’s 52-week range is $136.02 to $242.70. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of $240.00 before this earnings report. That price target is up about $17 a share from last July’s consensus.

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