51job (Nasdaq: JOBS ) is getting the job done in China.
The company, which manages an active job listings website and a weekly publication covering nearly two dozen Chinese provinces, posted another strong quarter last night. Revenue growth further accelerated during the period from its pace through the first nine months of 2007, climbing 25% to $29.3 million. Earnings clocked in at $0.10 a share; they would have come in 18% higher year over year, with $0.17 a share in profits, if you backed out stock-based compensation and foreign-exchange hits. Wall Street was banking on $0.11 a share in earnings, not including certain items, on $27.8 million in revenue.
Like stateside wedding-planning hub The Knot (Nasdaq: KNOT ) , 51job is balancing its slower-growing regional-publications business with its healthier online advertising efforts. The fourth-quarter results confirm it, with print revenue climbing 9% while online ad revenue soared 31%.
Obviously, this is an easy story stock to buy into. China's booming economy is creating new jobs -- and investing opportunities -- at a frenetic pace. Companies like ChinaEdu (Nasdaq: CEDU ) , and to a lesser extent, New Oriental Education (NYSE: EDU ) , are retooling the workforce with post-secondary schooling.
51job also isn't the only game in town when it comes to posting virtual want ads. It competes against Monster's (Nasdaq: MNST ) partly-owned ChinaHR.com (which Monster's currently acquiring entirely) and China CareerBuilder in the quest for jobseekers. There will be more than just one winner, since the market is big enough to share.
Job listings are a more attractive niche in China, compared to domestic Web-fueled employment specialists like Dice (NYSE: DHX ) and Jupitermedia (Nadsaq: JUPM), which find their share prices flopping around in the single digits.
51job expects to post adjusted earnings per ADS between $0.12 and $0.14 for the current quarter, on $30.2 million to $31.5 million in revenue. That's just right on top, but a little light on the bottom.
That guidance may not represent a perfect resume, but you can't judge an applicant based on a cover sheet. 51job is up for the job. Its ticker symbol tells you so.
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