What happened
Shares of video software specialist Vimeo (VMEO 0.43%) fell sharply this week. The stock declined as much as 32.3%, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. As of the end of the week, shares were down a total of 30.8%.
The growth stock's decline was primarily driven by the third-quarter update and some analysts' follow-up moves to downgrade their ratings for the stock.
Image source: Getty Images.
So what
Vimeo said its third-quarter revenue rose 33% year over year to $100.1 million. Its loss per share was $0.07. These results beat analysts' average forecasts for the two metrics. But Vimeo's revenue was only slightly ahead of the $100.0 million consensus estimate by analysts. The company's loss per share was narrower than the $0.10 loss analysts anticipated.
Total subscribers increased 14% year over year.
Management lowered its view for fourth-quarter revenue, likely spooking some investors. Vimeo guided for revenue growth to slow in Q4, coming in at or slightly above 25%. The company cited a tough year-ago comparison and "softness" in its over-the-top (OTT) products, particularly in its fitness and faith categories. "These 2 verticals are materially elevated demand and urgency during the pandemic and the reopenings have muted new business demand more than we expected, especially for smaller customers," explained Vimeo chief financial officer Narayan Menon in the company's third-quarter earnings call.
Several analysts downgraded their 12-month price targets for the stock after the earnings report.
Now what
Investors should keep in mind that Vimeo is going up against some extremely tough year-ago comparisons. In its fourth quarter of 2020, for instance, revenue grew a staggering 54%. As management notes, this anticipated 25%-plus growth in Q4 would actually mark an acceleration (79% growth versus 77% growth in Q3) on a two-year stack basis.
