Tech

EBay stock sinks after the company gives disappointing guidance

Key Points
  • Shares of eBay slid in extended trading on Wednesday after the company gave first-quarter earnings and revenue guidance that fell short of analysts' expectations.
  • Still, the online marketplace reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter.
  • Annual active buyers declined during the quarter to 147 million, well short of the 156 million active buyers forecast by analysts,

In this article

Q1 outlook for eBay isn't helping the story, says Wedbush Securities' Ygal Arounian
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Q1 outlook for eBay isn't helping the story, says Wedbush Securities' Ygal Arounian

Shares of eBay slid as much as 11% in extended trading Wednesday after the online marketplace posted its fourth-quarter earnings and gave guidance for the first quarter that fell short of Wall Street's expectations.

Here's how the company did versus Refinitiv consensus expectations for the quarter:

  • EPS: $1.05 per share ex-items, versus 99 cents expected
  • Revenue: $2.61 billion, versus $2.61 billion expected.

EBay predicted first-quarter revenue would come in between $2.43 billion and $2.48 billion, representing a decline of 7% to 5% year over year, while analysts had on average expected revenue of $2.61 billion, according to FactSet.

The company said it expects $1.01 to $1.05 in adjusted earnings per share in the first quarter, which was below consensus estimates of $1.08 per share, according to FactSet.

The disappointing guidance overshadowed eBay's better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter. The company posted earnings per share of $1.05, adjusted. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected 99 cents per share.

Revenue was $2.61 billion, in line with Wall Street's estimates.

Annual active buyers declined 9% during the quarter to 147 million, well short of the 156 million active buyers forecast by analysts, according to FactSet. Annual active sellers also slid 8% to 17 million.

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Because of scarcity, people have been turning to eBay, says CEO Jamie Iannone