Why Square Is Sinking Despite a Strong Q3

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
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Why Square Is Sinking Despite a Strong Q3

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Square Inc. (NYSE: SQ) released its most recent quarterly results after the markets closed on Wednesday. The company said that it had $0.13 in earnings per share (EPS) and $882.1 million in revenue, compared with consensus estimates that called for $0.11 in EPS on $860.5 million in revenue. In the third quarter of last year, the payments company reported EPS of $0.07 and $585 million in revenue.

While Square’s earnings look great at first glance, it has to be considered that this stock is up 125% over the past 52 weeks, and up nearly 140% in just 2018 alone. In order to keep this stock on the move, the company needs to keep knocking it out of the park, and although this was a great quarter it just wasn’t enough to keep up the momentum.

Excluding the acquisitions of Weebly and Zesty, total net revenue and adjusted revenue grew 46% and 56% year over year, respectively, which represents an acceleration compared to the prior quarter.

Gross payment volume (GPV) was $22.5 billion, up 29% year over year. The company continues to see strength from larger sellers. GPV from this group grew 41% year over year and accounted for 52% of total GPV, up from 48% in the third quarter of 2017.

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In terms of the revenue breakdown, Transaction-based revenue was $655 million, up 29% year over year, and Subscription and services-based revenue was $166 million, an increase of 155%. Hardware, making up the smallest segment, saw its revenue grow 74% to $18 million.

Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, the company expects to see EPS in the range of $0.12 to $0.13 and adjusted revenue between $446 million and $451 million. Consensus estimates call for $0.15 in EPS and $442.4 million in adjusted revenue for the coming quarter.

Shares of Square traded down more than 8% early Thursday at $75.89. The consensus analyst price target is $52.84 and a 52-week trading range is $34.14 to $101.15.

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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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