Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of China-based online discount retailer Vipshop Holdings (VIPS 0.76%) jumped as much as 23% following the release of its third-quarter earnings results.
So what: For the quarter, Vipshop reported a near-tripling in net revenue (up 197%) to $155.9 million, which it attributed to 173.6% customer growth, and a 157.6% spike in net orders. The company also reported its first non-GAAP profit -- albeit just $0.01 per share -- in its history. Wall Street analysts had been anticipating a loss of $0.07 per share
Now what: No deeper meaning or rocks left to be unturned here! Following an $0.08 earnings beat and a revenue spike that also blew analysts out of the water, it appears Vipshop is well on its way to becoming an e-commerce success story. What's really remarkable -- although I'd prefer to see a few more quarters of this type of success before I'd be sold on Vipshop -- is that Vipshop's margins actually expanded as it scales it business and expands. This is in marked contrast to Amazon.com which has a penchant for acquiring other businesses and expanding its operations while giving little credence to existing margins. It's still too early in the game for me to get too excited, but I'd suggest adding Vipshop to your Watchlist.
