ACV stock falls on weak guidance despite revenue beat

Published 20/02/2025, 17:50
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Investing.com -- Shares of ACV (NASDAQ: ACVA) dropped 8% today after the company released mixed fourth quarter results and provided guidance that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Despite surpassing revenue estimates for the quarter, the digital automotive marketplace’s outlook for the first quarter and full fiscal year of 2025 disappointed investors.

ACV reported a fourth-quarter EPS of ($0.16), which was significantly below the analyst estimate of ($0.01). However, the company’s revenue for the quarter was $159.51 million, exceeding the consensus estimate of $155.75 million. The company’s guidance for the first quarter of 2025 anticipates revenues between $180-185 million, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.8 million. For the full year of 2025, ACV forecasts revenue of $765-785 million, which also misses the consensus estimate of $784.6 million.

The company’s press release on February 19, 2025, highlighted that both revenue and Adjusted EBITDA exceeded the high end of their guidance for the fourth quarter, with revenue reaching $160 million and a 35% increase YoY. Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA was reported at $6 million, marking a significant improvement compared to the ($5) million in the fourth quarter of the previous year.

CEO George Chamoun expressed satisfaction with the fourth-quarter performance, citing revenue growth and margin expansion. Chamoun also emphasized ACV’s strong market position and the successful implementation of initiatives to support their commercial wholesale strategy. Looking ahead, Chamoun remained optimistic about ACV’s potential for sustainable market share gains and strong revenue growth despite expectations of a flat dealer wholesale market in 2025.

Analysts have responded to ACV’s earnings and guidance with caution. Needham analyst Chris Pierce lowered the price target on ACV to $25.00 from $28.00 while maintaining a Buy rating. Pierce noted the company’s strong fourth quarter and January performance but expressed concern over the slowed momentum in February and the cautious first-quarter guidance. Citizens JMP analyst Nicholas Jones also reduced the price target to $22.00 from $25.00, maintaining a Market Outperform rating. Jones acknowledged the solid fourth-quarter results but pointed out that the softer guidance for the first quarter and full year may raise concerns among investors.

In their comments, analysts highlighted that the guidance for the first quarter of 2025 and the full year came in softer than expected, which has contributed to the negative market response reflected in ACV’s stock price movement today.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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