Groupon Inc (NASDAQ:GRPN) announced financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.
“2015 saw sustained progress toward our vision of making Groupon the daily habit in local commerce,” said CEO Rich Williams. “Following a stronger than expected fourth quarter, we enter 2016 with a continued focus on streamlining our global operations, reducing our reliance on low margin products in our shopping business and rekindling our customer acquisition efforts to set the stage for accelerated growth.”
Fourth Quarter 2015 Summary
- Gross billings, which reflect the total dollar value of customer purchases of goods and services, was $1.71 billion in the fourth quarter 2015, compared with $1.72 billion in the fourth quarter 2014. Gross billings declined 1% globally, but grew 4% excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter. On this F/X neutral basis, North America billings increased 11%, EMEA declined 2% and Rest of World declined 7%.
- Revenue was $917.2 million in the fourth quarter 2015, compared with $883.2 million in the fourth quarter 2014. Revenue increased 4% globally, or 9% excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter. On this F/X neutral basis, North America revenue increased 13%, EMEA increased 3% and Rest of World declined 8%.
- Gross profit was $371.7 million in the fourth quarter 2015, compared with $378.1 million in the fourth quarter 2014. Gross profit declined 2% globally, but grew 4% excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter.
- Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $67.0 million in the fourth quarter 2015, compared with $92.9 million in the fourth quarter 2014.
- Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $46.5 million, or $0.08 per share. Non-GAAP earnings attributable to common stockholders was $23.3 million, or $0.04 per share.
- Operating cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2015 was $292.1 million. Free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $233.5 million in the fourth quarter 2015, bringing free cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2015 to$208.1 million.
- Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2015 was $853.4 million and we had no outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility.
Full Year 2015 Summary
- Gross billings was $6.3 billion in 2015, compared with $6.2 billion in 2014. Gross billings was approximately flat, but grew 8% excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year. On this F/X neutral basis, North Americabillings increased 12%, EMEA increased 3% and Rest of World was approximately flat.
- Revenue was $3.1 billion in 2015, compared with $3.0 billion in 2014. Revenue grew 3% globally, or 9% excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year. On this F/X neutral basis, North America revenue increased 12%, EMEA increased 7% and Rest of World declined 6%.
- Gross profit was $1.4 billion in 2015, compared with $1.5 billion in 2014. Gross profit declined 5%, but grew 2% excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year.
- Adjusted EBITDA was $256.8 million in 2015, compared with $262.3 million in 2014.
- Net earnings attributable to common stockholders were $20.7 million, or $0.03 per share. Earnings per share includes $0.19 from discontinued operations, which was driven by the gain on our sale of a controlling stake in Ticket Monster. Non-GAAP earnings attributable to common stockholders was $91.0 million, or $0.14 per share.
Definitions and reconciliations of all non-GAAP financial measures are included below in the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and in the accompanying tables.
Highlights
- Units: Global units, defined as vouchers and products sold before cancellations and refunds, were approximately flat year-over-year at 62 million for the fourth quarter 2015. North America units increased 12%, EMEA units declined 3% and Rest of World units declined 31%.
- Active deals: At the end of the fourth quarter 2015, on average, active deals were approximately 650,000 globally, with nearly 350,000 inNorth America. Both include approximately 70,000 Coupons.
- Active customers: Active customers, or customers that have purchased a voucher or product within the last twelve months, grew 3% year-over-year, to 48.9 million as of December 31, 2015, comprising 25.9 million in North America, 15.4 million in EMEA, and 7.6 million in Rest of World.
- Customer spend: Fourth quarter 2015 trailing twelve month billings per average active customer was $130, compared with $137 in the fourth quarter 2014.
Share Repurchase
During the fourth quarter 2015, Groupon repurchased 35,326,954 shares of its Class A common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $112.5 million, as of December 31, 2015. Up to $156.8 million of Class A common stock remained available for repurchase under Groupon’s share repurchase program through August 2017. The timing and amount of any share repurchases are determined based on market conditions, share price and other factors, and the programs may be discontinued or suspended at any time.
Outlook
Groupon’s outlook for 2016 reflects current foreign exchange rates, as well as expected marketing investments, continued progress on increasing Shopping margins, and a reduction of our international footprint. We continue to expect revenue of between $2.75 and $3.05 billion for the full year, and we are increasing the company’s expected 2016 adjusted EBITDA range to between $80 million and $130 million. Moving forward, we are only providing annual Revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance, which we will update quarterly. (Original Source)
Shares of Groupon jumped nearly 14% in after-hours trading. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $2.73 and its 200-day moving average is $3.45.
On the ratings front, Groupon has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. In a report issued on February 5, Brean Murray Carret analyst Tom Forte maintained a Buy rating on GRPN, with a price target of $5, which implies an upside of 123.2% from current levels. Separately, on December 11, Macquarie’s Tom White maintained a Buy rating on the stock and has a price target of $3.50.
According to TipRanks.com, which ranks over 7,500 financial analysts and bloggers to gauge the performance of their past recommendations, Tom Forte and Tom White have a total average return of -50.1% and -13.4% respectively. Forte has a success rate of 3.4% and is ranked #3565 out of 3569 analysts, while White has a success rate of 27.3% and is ranked #3157.
Groupon Inc provides a local e-commerce marketplace that connects merchants to consumers by offering goods and services at discount. The Company features a daily deal on stuff to do, see, eat, and buy.