Block revenue misses Street expectation, shares fall
Adds analyst comment in paragraphs 5-6, consent order in paragraph 7
By Arasu Kannagi Basil and Atharva Singh
Nov 7 (Reuters) -Payments firm Block SQ.N reported third-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations on Thursday, signaling softer consumer spending and overshadowing a profit beat that was powered by disciplined expense management.
Shares of the company fell more than 10% in extended trading before paring losses to below 4%.
Consumer spending has normalized from the post-pandemic bounce when Americans splurged on travel and dining out. Analysts believe a soft landing for the economy could boost consumer confidence and reignite spending growth.
Block's total net revenue of$5.98 billion in the reported quarter missedexpectations of $6.24 billion, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.
Running Point Capital's chief investment officer, Michael Ashley Schulman, said traders were "probably reacting to their revenue miss which might be a harbinger of larger problems - that they (Block) may be losing transactions to competitors."
Schulman added that aftermarket trading may have overreacted as Block reported improvement across most profitability metrics.
Separately, Block disclosed it had received a draft consent order from the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in August tied to an investigation of Cash App's handling of customer complaints and disputes.
It also said itwas in discussions with several money transmission license regulators regarding its compliance program, including its anti-money laundering program.
Blockis in talks to see if the matters can be settled on "acceptable" terms, which could result in one or more public orders, it said.
Still, Block's focus on disciplined expense management helped it beat profit estimates. It has cut jobs, trimmed its real estate footprint, and reduced discretionary spending to drive "profitable growth".
On an adjusted basis, Block earned 88 cents per share, beating expectations of 87 cents.
Block's results cap off the earnings season for payments firms, closely watched by analysts to assess the health of U.S. consumers.
Block shares have dipped 2.7% in 2024, underperforming bigger rival PayPal's PYPL.O 32.5% jump.
Block shares have underperformed YTD https://reut.rs/4fCbILl
Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil and Atharva Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
