There's nothing wrong with the Crushed Melon flavor at Jones Soda
Shares of the edgy soft drink maker fell sharply Friday morning, on the heels of yet another disappointing report. Net revenue inched just 2% higher to $9.4 million. Last year, the company broke even; this year, it reported a $0.15-per-share loss. Wall Street was braced for the deficit, but it was only looking for a $0.04 per-share slip.
Gross margins tanked on the heels of discontinued inventory items. Gross revenue increased 12% as a result of the company's recent canned product push through National Beverage
"2008 will be a transitional year," the company's new CEO warns. That's the equivalent of a pro sports team looking forward to a season as a "rebuilding" year. Fans are welcome to stick around, but don't expect a lot of victories.
This marks the third consecutive money-losing quarter for the company. That stings hard because I recommended the shares to my fellow Rule Breakers newsletter subscribers last year at a much higher price point.
I never thought that Jones Soda would rival Coca-Cola
A year ago, Jones Soda was riding high on brisk sales of its premium-priced bottled brews and striking attractive deals to get into places like Panera
As long as the canned product isn't diluting the perceived brand allure of the creative bottled products -- and I don't think even Jones Soda knows if this is the case or not -- I still like Jones Soda's chances.
Turnarounds -- and transitions -- take time, and the company's new regime deserves at least a couple of quarters to prove its worth.
Other ways to keep up -- or down -- with the Joneses: