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 Rocket Fuel (NASDAQ: FUEL) plunged 20% Friday after the artificial intelligence advertising solutions company reported third-quarter results.
So what: Quarterly revenue increased 132%, to $62.5 million, leading to an adjusted net loss of $1.8 million, or $0.16 per share. Analysts were looking for an adjusted loss of just $0.13 per share on sales of $53.59 million.
That said, Rocket Fuel also projected fourth-quarter revenue in the range of $74 million to $77 million, also well above analysts' estimates, which called for Q4 sales of $66.19 million.
Now what: Rocket Fuel's sales are growing nicely; but all the revenue in the world don't mean much if it doesn't eventually translate to the bottom line. What's more, keep in mind that, going into the report, shares of Rocket Fuel had already jumped 64% from its late-September IPO at $29 per share. As a result, it's hard to blame investors for taking some of their quick profits off the table.
