Groupon released the earnings results from its first fiscal quarter after closing bell tonight, posting non-GAAP earnings of 3 cents per share on $750.4 million in revenue. Analysts had been expecting earnings of 1 cent per share on $822.8 million in revenue for the quarter. In last year’s first quarter, the daily deals giant posted $728.4 million in revenue.
Key metrics from Groupon’s earnings report
Groupon reported $1.6 billion in gross billings, marking a 10% global increase, excluding negative currency impacts, and $72.4 million in adjusted EBITDA, a 58% year over year growth rate. GAAP losses per share were 2 cents. The company generated $222 million in free cash flow for the trailing 12-month period.
The company’s North America business recorded double digit growth for the third quarter in a row in all three categories. Billings in the region increased 14%. On a currency neutral basis, billings in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa increased 7%, while the Rest of the World fell 1%.
Groupon units on the rise
Groupon reported that global units increased 6% to 54 million in the March quarter. North America units rose 8%, while Europe, the Middle East, and Africa units rose 10% and units from the Rest of the World fell 7%. As of the end of the first quarter, Groupon had an average of 425,000 active deals, including more than 200,000 in North America.
The company recorded a 7% increase in active customers, which rose to 48.1 million, including 24.6 million in North America. Billings per active customer were slightly lower at $135, compared to $136 in the same quarter last year.
About 105 million people have downloaded Groupon’s mobile apps. The company also recorded more than 160 million global monthly unique users on both web and mobile devices. About 27% of Groupon’s total North America transactions were search-related, compared to 20% in last year’s first quarter.
Groupon provides guidance
For the June quarter, Groupon projects revenue of between $700 million and $750 million, which includes negative impacts of about 800 basis points due to unfavorable currency exchange rates. The company projects second quarter adjusted EBITDA to be between $55 million and $75 million and non-GAAP earnings of between 1 cent and 3 cents per share from continuing operations.
For the full year, Groupon expects revenue to be between $3.15 billion and $3.3 billion and adjusted EBITDA of more than $315 million.
