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Wayfair (W) Q1 Loss Narrower than Anticipated, Revenues Miss

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Wayfair Inc. (W - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2020 non-GAAP loss of $2.30 per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $2.55.

Total revenues came in at $2.33 billion, up 19.8% year over year. However, the figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.4%.

The increase in revenues was driven by strong acceleration in new and repeat customer orders. Also, increase in active customers and strength in the company's direct retail business aided year-over-year revenue growth.

Following first-quarter results, its shares rose 23.7% due to narrower-than-expected loss.

Wayfair Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

 

Quarter in Detail

Direct retail net revenues — including sales generated primarily through Wayfair’s sites — were $2.3 billion, which increased 20.3% year over year.

Active customers increased 28.6% from the prior-year quarter to 21.1 million. Also, LTM net revenues per active customer increased 1.6% year over year to $449 million.

Total number of orders delivered in the reported quarter was 9.9 million, up 21% year over year. In addition, orders per customer in the quarter were 1.86 million, reflecting an increase of 0.5% from the year-ago period. Further, repeat customers placed 6.9 million orders in the first quarter, up 27.9% year over year.

Operating Results

In the first quarter, Wayfair’s gross margin was 24.9%, up 70 basis points on a year-over-year basis.

Adjusted EBITDA margin was (5.5%) compared with (5.3%) in the year-ago quarter. This was due to increasing investments, mainly in international regions served.

The company’s operating expenses of $841.2 million increased 26.7% year over year. Operating loss was $262.1 million, wider than the prior-year loss of $193.6 million.

Balance Sheet & Cash Flow

At the end of the first quarter, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $891 million, down from $987 million in the prior quarter. Accounts receivables were $110.3 million, up from $99.7 million in the fourth quarter.

Cash from operations was ($256.3) million and capital expenditure totaled $60 million. Free cash flow was ($354.6) million compared with ($158.5) million in the fourth quarter.

Zacks Rank and Other Stocks to Consider

Wayfair currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Other top-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector include Akamai Technologies, Inc. (AKAM - Free Report) , Inuvo, Inc. (INUV - Free Report) and Shopify Inc. (SHOP - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Long-term earnings growth for Akamai, Inuvo, and Shopify is currently projected at 12.3%, 30% and 25.8%, respectively.

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