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 auction portal operator Liquidity Services, Inc. (LQDT +1.28%) plummeted 20% today after its quarterly results and outlook disappointed Wall Street.
So what: The stock has plunged over the past year on deteriorating growth, and today's fourth-quarter results -- earnings per share of $0.32 missed estimates by $0.13 on a revenue increase of 5.6% -- coupled with downbeat guidance only reinforce that trend. On the bright side, margins during the quarter increased as total expenses declined 1.4%, suggesting that Liquidity's competitive position remains sound despite the drop in demand.
Now what: Management now sees full-year 2014 EPS of $1.60-$1.76, well below Wall Street's view of $1.90. "We believe our continued investments in our people, technology platform and service offering position us well for long term profitable growth and market leadership," said Chairman and CEO Bill Angrick. "Liquidity Services remains focused on executing our long term growth strategy to ensure the Company is well positioned to drive attractive returns for shareholders." With Liquidity Services shares off more than 50% from their 52-week highs, it might be an opportune time to bet on that long-term bullishness.
