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 Vocus (NASDAQ: VOCS) have plunged 15% today after the company's forward guidance failed to impress the Street.
So what: Vocus reported its earnings last evening, and both the $46.6 million top line and the $0.01 earnings per share result were better than Wall Street's consensus, which sought a $45.3 million revenue number and a $0.02 loss per share. However, third-quarter guidance of $46.5 million to $46.8 million on the top line is below the $47 million consensus, and a $0.03 to $0.04 EPS result is roughly in line with the $0.03 consensus. Additionally, the full fiscal year's guidance of $188 million to $189 million is roughly in line with the $188.2 million consensus.
Now what: The lack of evident growth between the third and fourth quarters could be disappointing, but it's tough to see how merely meeting expectations would warrant a double-digit plunge. However, Vocus execs noted in their earnings call that there were fewer subscriptions in the second quarter as the company moved to a higher average pricing scheme and away from small business services in their marketing segment. This was meant to reduce churn and raise margins, but investors might have decided to stay on the sidelines until the results of this new strategy become more apparent. Long-term shareholders have already lost two-thirds of their investment over the last five years, so it's not as if they aren't used to such uncertainty by now.
Want more news and updates? Add Vocus to your watchlist now.
