On Thursday, Cantor Fitzgerald adjusted its financial outlook for Udemy Inc (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:UDMY), a global online learning platform. The firm's analyst revised the price target down to $18.00 from the previous $20.00 but decided to keep an Overweight rating on the stock. This decision followed Udemy's recent financial performance update, which included a mix of outcomes.
Udemy reported its annual recurring revenue (ARR) at $492.6 million, which was 1.2% higher than the market consensus. The company also surpassed expectations for both revenue and adjusted EBITDA. Despite these positive results, Udemy revised its full-year revenue guidance downward from $800 million to $779 million. This revision is attributed to a decrease in consumer revenue expectations by $11 million, a $6 million drop in enterprise revenue, and a $4 million impact from foreign exchange rates.
In addition to the financial revisions, Udemy announced a strategic pivot towards prioritizing large enterprise customers. Management at Udemy believes this shift will drive more significant growth and create better leverage in their business model. The company's aim is to fundamentally disrupt an industry that is seen as lacking innovation, focusing on the long-term potential of the online learning platform.
Despite the positive long-term outlook, current macroeconomic pressures are impacting consumer and enterprise learning and development (L&D) budgets. In response to these factors and the updated financial metrics, Cantor Fitzgerald has recalculated Udemy's valuation. The firm now values Udemy on a 3.0x 2024E EV/Sales multiple, a decrease from the previous 3.5x multiple.
Udemy reported a 9% year-over-year increase in its second quarter 2024 revenue, reaching $194 million. The company's annual recurring revenue (ARR) also showed a positive trend, growing to nearly $500 million, a 17% rise year-over-year. The financial results surpassed expectations, contributing to a robust gross margin of 64%, a significant improvement driven by changes in the instructor revenue share model.
InvestingPro Insights
As Udemy Inc (NASDAQ:UDMY) navigates through its strategic pivot and the current economic landscape, the latest data from InvestingPro provides a deeper insight into the company's financial health and market performance. With a market capitalization of approximately $1.41 billion and a notable gross profit margin of 58.74% over the last twelve months as of Q1 2024, Udemy's financial robustness is evident. These figures underscore the company's ability to maintain a high level of profitability relative to its revenue, which is a positive sign for investors looking at the company's operational efficiency.
However, it's important to note that Udemy holds a negative P/E ratio of -17.71, reflecting its lack of profitability over the past year. Yet, the company has achieved an impressive revenue growth of 14.7% in the same period, indicating potential for future profitability. This growth trajectory is further supported by an InvestingPro Tip highlighting that analysts predict Udemy will become profitable this year.
Investors should also consider the recent stock price volatility and the significant return over the last week, with a price total return of 8.45%. While the stock has experienced a decline of 33.62% over the last six months, the recent uptick could be indicative of a changing investor sentiment. For those looking for additional insights, there are 10 more InvestingPro Tips available, which can provide further guidance on Udemy's stock performance and financial outlook.
For comprehensive analysis and detailed tips on Udemy, investors can explore the additional insights on InvestingPro: https://www.investing.com/pro/UDMY
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