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Twitter Revenue Up 124%, Monthly Active Users Up 24%

Twitter just released its earnings report for the second quarter. This is the company’s third such report since going public last year. The company beat analysts’ estimates, and stock is q...
Twitter Revenue Up 124%, Monthly Active Users Up 24%
Written by Chris Crum
  • Twitter just released its earnings report for the second quarter. This is the company’s third such report since going public last year.

    The company beat analysts’ estimates, and stock is quickly taking off.

    Revenue was was $312 million, up 124% year-over-year.

    Net loss for the quarter was $145 million, and non-GAAP net income was $15 million. GAAP EPS were ($0.24) and non-GAAP EPS were $0.02.

    Average monthly active users were 271 million as of June 30, up 24% year-over-year. Mobile MAUs were 211 million, up 29%, and representing 78% of all MAUs. Timeline views hit 173 billion, up 15%.

    Ad revenue per thousand timeline views hit $1.60, up 100% year-over-year.

    CEO Dick Costolo said, “Our strong financial and operating results for the second quarter show the continued momentum of our business. We remain focused on driving increased user growth and engagement, and by developing new product experiences, like the one we built around the World Cup, we believe we can extend Twitter’s appeal to an even broader audience.”

    Ad revenue growth has been driven by higher engagement, Costolo said on the conference call.

    Costolo is really proud of how Twitter performed during the World Cup. They had 2 billion tweet impressions off of Twitter during World Cup (in addition to all the on-property tweeting).

    They have a team working on building fast service in developing markets.

    The size of Twitter’s audience is two to three times that of just the monthly active user base, Costolo said. He said they believe that puts them in the top ten of digital audiences in the world. Total audience and reach represent a “significant opportunity” and they’ll continue to invest in maximizing the size of its audience.

    “We will position ourselves to reach the largest audience in the world and every person on the planet,” he said.

    Twitter has a sales presence in over 40 countries.

    The company noted on the call that it has closed the recently announced acquisition of Tap Commerce.

    During the Q&A, Costolo said they’re not monetizing the off-site Twitter audience yet.

    The company says that it helps make other brands better as opposed to “disrupting” them.

    They didn’t benefit from new MAU growth because of the World Cup, apparently. It drove engagement from existing users.

    You’ll continue to see other experiments like the “buy” button.

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – July 29, 2014 – Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2014.

    • Q2 revenue of $312 million, up 124% year-over-year
    • Q2 net loss of $145 million and non-GAAP net income of $15 million
    • Q2 GAAP EPS of ($0.24) and non-GAAP EPS of $0.02
    • Q2 adjusted EBITDA of $54 million, representing an adjusted EBITDA margin of 17%

    “Our strong financial and operating results for the second quarter show the continued momentum of our business,” said Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter. “We remain focused on driving increased user growth and engagement, and by developing new product experiences, like the one we built around the World Cup, we believe we can extend Twitter’s appeal to an even broader audience.”

    For information regarding the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this release, please see “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

    Second Quarter 2014 Operational Highlights

    • Average Monthly Active Users (MAUs) were 271 million as of June 30, 2014, an increase of 24% year-over-year.
    • Mobile MAUs reached 211 million in the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 29% year-over-year, representing 78% of total MAUs.
    • Timeline views reached 173 billion for the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 15% year-over-year.
    • Advertising revenue per thousand timeline views reached $1.60 in the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 100% year-over-year.

    Second Quarter 2014 Product Highlights

    • Twitter introduced new product experiences that were built around the World Cup, including real-time scoring, push notifications, event and match timelines, and a voting ballot feature. In addition, Twitter launched new web profiles and the ability to send private messages within Vine.
    • Twitter launched a number of new advertiser tools including mobile app promotions, which allow mobile app developers to drive installs and engagements on Twitter, and website cards, which allow advertisers to easily surface website content within a Tweet and drive relevant traffic to any page of their site such as their home page, product page, or an important blog post.
    • Twitter continued the international expansion of its advertising products, expanding state/region geo-targeting to help marketers meet local advertising objectives in additional countries including the UK, France, and Indonesia, among others, and launching its self service ad platform for small and medium sized businesses in Spain, Israel and South Africa.
    • Twitter closed the acquisition of Gnip, a leading provider of social data, and entered into agreements to acquire several other companies including TapCommerce, a leader in mobile retargeting and re-engagement advertising, and SnappyTV, a platform for video editing and distribution.

    Second Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights

    Revenue – Revenue for the second quarter of 2014 totaled $312 million, an increase of 124% compared to $139 million in the same period last year.

    • Advertising revenue totaled $277 million, an increase of 129% year-over-year.
    • Mobile advertising revenue was 81% of total advertising revenue.
    • Data licensing and other revenue totaled $35 million, an increase of 90% year-over-year.
    • International revenue totaled $102 million, an increase of 168% year-over-year.
    • International revenue was 33% of total revenue.

    Net loss – GAAP net loss was $145 million for the second quarter of 2014 compared to a net loss of $42 million in the same period last year. Twitter’s GAAP net loss included $158 million of stock-based compensation expense.

    Adjusted EBITDA – Adjusted EBITDA was $54 million for the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 461% compared to $10 million in the same period last year.

    Non-GAAP net income / loss – Non-GAAP net income was $15 million for the second quarter of 2014 compared to a Non-GAAP net loss of $16 million in the same period last year.

    EPS – Basic and diluted GAAP EPS was ($0.24) for the second quarter of 2014 compared to ($0.32) in the same period last year.

    Non-GAAP EPS – Non-GAAP EPS was $0.02 for the second quarter of 2014 compared to ($0.12) in the year ago period.

    Capital expenditures – Purchases of property and equipment for the second quarter of 2014 were $44 million. Additionally, $31 million of equipment was financed through capital leases during the second quarter of 2014.

    Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities – As of June 30, 2014, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were approximately $2.1 billion, compared to $2.2 billion as of March 31, 2014.

    Outlook

    Twitter’s outlook for the third quarter of 2014 is as follows:

    • Revenue is projected to be in the range of $330 million to $340 million.
    • Adjusted EBITDA is projected to be in the range of $40 million to $45 million.
    • Stock-based compensation expense is projected to be in the range of $180 million to $190 million excluding the impact of equity awards that may be granted in connection with potential future acquisitions.

    Twitter’s revised outlook for the full year of 2014 is as follows:

    • Revenue is projected to be in the range of $1,310 million to $1,330 million.
    • Adjusted EBITDA is projected to be in the range of $210 million to $230 million.
    • Capital expenditures are projected to be in the range of $330 million to $390 million.
    • Stock-based compensation expense is projected to be in the range of $640 million to $690 million excluding the impact of equity awards that may be granted in connection with potential future acquisitions.

    Webcast and Conference Call Details
    Twitter will host a conference call today, Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) to discuss financial results. Questions submitted via Twitter, directed to @TwitterIR, using the hashtag #TWTRearnings will be considered during the Q&A portion of the conference call in addition to questions submitted by conference call participants. A live webcast of the conference call, Twitter’s financial results and supplemental slides will be accessible from the Investor Relations page of Twitter’s website at investor.twitterinc.com. A replay will be archived and accessible at the same website after the conference call. Twitter has used, and intends to continue to use, its Investor Relations website (investor.twitterinc.com), as well as certain Twitter accounts (@dickc, @twitter and @twitterIR), as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

    About Twitter, Inc.
    Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) is a global platform for public self-expression and conversation in real time. By developing a fundamentally new way for people to create, distribute and discover content, we have democratized content creation and distribution, enabling any voice to echo around the world instantly and unfiltered. The service can be accessed at Twitter.com, via the Twitter mobile application and via text message. Available in more than 35 languages, Twitter has 271 million monthly active users. For more information, visit discover.twitter.com or follow @twitter.

    Forward Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Twitter’s future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, Twitter’s strategies and business plans and Twitter’s expectations regarding its revenue, adjusted EBITDA, capital expenditures and stock-based compensation expense for the third quarter and full year 2014. Twitter’s expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include the possibility that: our user base and engagement do not continue to grow; advertisers reduce or discontinue their spending on Twitter; data partners reduce or discontinue their purchases of data licenses from Twitter; and Twitter experiences expenses that exceed its expectations. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Twitter’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Twitter as of the date hereof, and Twitter disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    To supplement Twitter’s financial information presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP, Twitter considers certain financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP, including adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income (loss), adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP EPS. Twitter defines adjusted EBITDA as net loss adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization expense, interest and other expenses and provision (benefit) for income taxes; and Twitter defines non-GAAP net income (loss) as net loss adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense, amortization of acquired intangible assets and the income tax effects related to acquisitions. Adjusted EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue.

    Twitter uses the non-GAAP financial measures of adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income (loss), adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP EPS in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. Twitter believes that adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income (loss), adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP EPS help identify underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the expenses that we exclude in adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income (loss), adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP EPS. Twitter also believes that adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income (loss), adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP EPS provide useful information about its operating results, enhance the overall understanding of Twitter’s past performance and future prospects and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by Twitter’s management in its financial and operational decision-making. Twitter uses these measures to establish budgets and operational goals for managing its business and evaluating its performance. Twitter is presenting these non-GAAP financial measures to assist investors in seeing Twitter’s operating results through the eyes of management, and because it believes that these measures provide an additional tool for investors to use in comparing Twitter’s core business operating results over multiple periods with other companies in its industry.

    These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP and are not necessarily comparable to similarly-titled measures presented by other companies.

    For future periods, Twitter is unable to provide a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net loss as a result of the uncertainty regarding, and the potential variability of, depreciation and amortization expense, interest and other expenses and provision (benefit) for income taxes, that are expected to be incurred in the future.

    Contacts
    Investors:
    Nils Erdmann
    [email protected]

    Press:
    Jim Prosser
    [email protected]

    Image via Twitter

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