On Monday, Citi reaffirmed its Buy rating and $194.00 price target for shares of Pinduoduo Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD), following the e-commerce giant's second-quarter financial results for 2024. Pinduoduo's revenue growth of 86% year-over-year to Rmb97.1 billion fell short of both Citi's and consensus expectations, which were set at Rmb102.0 billion and Rmb100.0 billion, respectively.
The shortfall was mainly due to transaction services revenue, which at Rmb47.9 billion, was 7% below Citi's projections, and online marketing services along with other revenues that grew by 29% year-over-year to Rmb49.1 billion, slightly missing estimates by 2.8%.
Despite the revenue miss, Pinduoduo's non-GAAP net profit attributable to ordinary shareholders exceeded expectations, reaching Rmb34.4 billion, a 125% increase year-over-year and surpassing Citi's forecast by 4% and the street's estimate by 14%.
The non-GAAP operating profit showed a 139% year-over-year increase to Rmb35.0 billion, which was in line with Citi's estimate. The company maintained its sales and marketing expenses at 27% of revenues, consistent with the previous quarter and analyst predictions.
Citi notes that the revenue miss was not entirely unexpected due to limited communication from Pinduoduo and substantial upward revisions in estimates after several quarters of strong performance. The miss is attributed to a slowing macro environment, increased competition within China, and normalization of growth for Pinduoduo's international platform, Temu.
The firm's preliminary assessment suggests that domestic gross merchandise volume (GMV) growth may have slowed to 13% year-over-year in the second quarter, with an improved monetization rate.
Temu's net revenues are estimated to have contributed Rmb37.4 billion, or approximately $5.1 billion, accounting for 78% of total transaction revenues and 39% of Pinduoduo's overall revenues. Temu's GMV is estimated to have reached nearly $10.7 billion.
The earnings call is expected to address various topics including targets and traction in Brazil, growth expectations in various regions, updates on the semi-managed model, domestic competitive dynamics, consumer spending sentiment, merchant disputes, geopolitical tensions, regulations, and shareholder return policy.
InvestingPro Insights
Pinduoduo Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) has been demonstrating a strong financial performance with notable metrics that could interest investors. According to real-time data from InvestingPro, Pinduoduo is trading at a low P/E ratio relative to near-term earnings growth, with an adjusted P/E ratio over the last twelve months as of Q1 2024 at 17.32. This could signal an attractive valuation for investors considering the company's earnings potential.
InvestingPro Tips highlight that Pinduoduo holds more cash than debt on its balance sheet and has impressive gross profit margins, which stood at 61.83% over the last twelve months as of Q1 2024. This financial stability and profitability are key indicators of the company's ability to sustain and grow its operations.
In addition, Pinduoduo's revenue growth remains robust, with a 105.55% increase over the last twelve months as of Q1 2024, and analysts anticipate continued sales growth in the current year. The company's strong market position, as a prominent player in the Broadline Retail industry, supports this optimistic outlook.
For those interested in further insights and tips, InvestingPro offers additional guidance on Pinduoduo. There are 14 more InvestingPro Tips available, which can be accessed by visiting https://www.investing.com/pro/PDD for a deeper dive into the company's financial health and future prospects.
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