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 comScore (SCOR -1.93%) jumped 10% Tuesday after the company turned in better-than-expected first quarter results.
So what: Quarterly revenue rose 14% year over year to $76.9 million, which translated to a GAAP loss of $0.02 per diluted share. On an adjusted basis, however, comScore achieved earnings of $0.30 per diluted share. By contrast, analysts were expecting adjusted earnings of $0.22 per share on sales of $76.39 million.
In addition, for the current quarter, comScore expects revenue in the range of $77.3 million to $79.7 million, the midpoint of which is roughly in line with expectations. For the full year, comScore expects revenue of $317.2 million to $328.2 million -- compared with estimates calling for $323.82 million -- with GAAP net income ranging from negative $2.4 million to positive $5.2 million.
Now what: CEO Serge Matta added, "We remain focused on driving the business forward with sharp execution and a strong value proposition for our clients, partners, and shareholders in 2014 and beyond."
To be sure, shares don't look "cheap" trading around 96 times next year's expected earnings, but that's not all too uncommon for companies on the cusp of profitability. As long as comScore continues making progress toward propelling its operations in the black, I think the stock should be able to continue rewarding shareholders from here.