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Sohu.com (SOHU) Q4 Loss Narrower Than Expected, Revenues Fall

Sohu.com Limited SOHU reported relatively weak fourth-quarter 2022 results, with the bottom line beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate but the top line missing the same. Despite efforts to refine products and optimize operational effectiveness, the leading provider of online advertising, media and gaming services in China recorded year-over-year lower revenues owing to the adverse impact of the pandemic and macroeconomic headwinds.

Sohu remains committed to enriching its customers with rich premium content. The organization continues to put its emphasis on creating unique content and science-based live program based on its ‘Twin Engine’ strategy.

Net Income

On a GAAP basis, the company witnessed a net loss of $7.1 million or a loss of 21 cents per ADS against a net income of $3.6 million or 9 cents per ADS in the prior-year quarter. Revenue decline year over year is the key reason behind the net loss.

Non-GAAP net loss stood at $2.2 million or a loss of 6 cents per ADS against a net income of $0.2 million or a penny per ADS in the year-ago quarter. Non-GAAP net loss for the reported quarter was narrower than the consensus estimate of a loss of 52 cents.

In 2022, the company witnessed a net loss of $17.3 million or a loss of 50 cents per ADS against a net income of $927.7 million or $ 23.49 per ADS a year ago. On a non-GAAP basis, it registered a net income of $2.4 million or 7 cents per ADS compared with $938.7 million or $23.76 per ADS in 2021.

Sohu.com Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

 

Sohu.com Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Sohu.com Inc. Quote

 

Revenues

Revenues in the reported quarter declined to $160.4 million from $193 million in the year-ago quarter. The negative impact of COVID-19 and macroeconomic uncertainty hampered the top line during the quarter. The top line fell short of the consensus estimate of $162 million.

Brand advertising revenues declined 14% year over year to $28.8 million from $33.6 million in the prior-year quarter. Revenues from Online Game totaled $121.4 million, down 16% year over year. The downside was caused by the declining demand for the company’s older games like Little Raccoon: Heroes and TLBB PC. Other revenues totaled $10.2 million, down from $15.6 million in the year-ago quarter.

For 2022, revenue stood at $733.9 million compared with $835.6 million in 2021.

For PC games, the total average monthly active user accounts (MAU) were 2.3 million, up 11% year over year, due to better performance of some of the older games driven by content updates during the quarter. Total quarterly aggregate active paying accounts (APA) were 0.9 million, up 2% year over year.

For mobile games, the total average MAU was 1.8 million, down 30% year over year and the total quarterly APA was 0.4 million, down 24% year over year. The decline of Little Raccoon: Heroes primarily led to this contraction.

Other Details

Quarterly GAAP gross profit was $124.6 million compared with the year-ago quarter’s figure of $141.2 million, with a respective gross margin of 78% and 73%. Non-GAAP gross margin for brand advertising business increased to 51% from 28% in the prior-year quarter owing to a waiver of unpaid long-term accounts payable of approximately US$10 million. Non-GAAP gross margin was flat at 84%.

Due to Changyou's reduction in marketing and promotional expenditures for online games, non-GAAP operating expenses decreased by 10% year over year to $130 million.

Cash Flow & Liquidity

As of Dec 31, 2022, the company had $697.8 million in cash and cash equivalents with $448 million of long-term tax liabilities compared with respective tallies of $998.9 million and $443.1 million in 2021.

Outlook

For the first quarter of 2023, Brand Advertising revenues are estimated to be in the range of $20-$23 million, which indicates a decrease of 3% to 16% year over year. Online game revenues are estimated in the band of $121-$131 million, which indicates a decrease of 17% to 23% year over year. Sohu’s non-GAAP net loss is likely to be between $15 million and $25 million. GAAP net loss is projected between $20 million and $30 million.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Sohu currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Autohome Inc. ATHM, sporting a Zacks Rank #1, delivered an earnings surprise of 16.2%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 18.18%.

Autohome Inc. offers an online destination for automobile consumers, primarily in the People's Republic of China. The company, through its Websites, autohome.com.cn and che168.com delivers content to automobile buyers and owners.

Viavi Solutions Inc. VIAV, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), delivered an earnings surprise of 9.10%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 27.27%.

Viavi Solutions Inc. is a leading provider of network test, monitoring and service enablement solutions to diverse sectors across the globe. The product portfolio of the company offers end-to-end network visibility and analytics that help build, test, certify, maintain and optimize complex physical and virtual networks.

Arista Networks, Inc. ANET, sporting a Zacks Rank #1, delivered an earnings surprise of 14.17%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Earnings estimates for ANET for the current year stand at $5.76 per share.

Arista Networks, Inc. is engaged in providing cloud networking solutions for data centers and cloud computing environments. The company offers 10/25/40/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet switches and routers optimized for next-generation data center networks.

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