Asia FX muted, dollar weakens slightly ahead of Fed rate decision
Investing.com -- Shares of Fortnox fell by 1% today, despite the company reporting earnings that slightly surpassed Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) and consensus expectations.
The Swedish cloud software company disclosed its first-quarter results, with total revenue coming in 1% below consensus expectations at SEK 540 million, marking a 20% increase on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. However, the divestment of Offerta posed a SEK 22 million headwind to the company’s revenues.
On an organic basis, Fortnox’s growth was approximately 1 percentage point (pp) above street expectations at 24%, aligning closely with the previous year’s growth of around 26%. Subscription revenues grew by 14%, significantly affected by the Offerta divestment.
Transaction-based revenues saw an approximate 30% increase, which is a slight deceleration from the 38% growth observed in the third quarter. Lending revenues surged by 41%, outpacing the 37% growth in the previous quarter.
Fortnox’s operating margin, excluding certain revenues, would have been 42%, compared to the reported 47%. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were reported at SEK 254 million, which is 3% above Morgan Stanley’s expectations and 5% above the consensus.
The key performance indicators (KPIs) showed mixed results, with net new customer additions coming in around 7% lower than expected at 13,000, potentially a slight concern given the company’s robust pace of new customer acquisitions projected through 2024. The average revenue per customer (ARPC) reached SEK 298, an 11% increase, yet slightly below the expected SEK 300.
A Morgan Stanley analyst commented on the results, stating: "Overall, we see the better than expected organic growth result as a positive for the shares, but the slightly lower than expected net customer adds may take the shine off an otherwise good set of fourth-quarter results. Given the strong share price appreciation into the results, we expect to see the shares up low single-digit percentage today."
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.