Twitter Inc. TWTR, shares soared 12.6% in premarket trading after the company delivered better-than-expected financial results but posted flat user growth relative to the prior quarter. The company reported net income of $91.1 million, after a $167.1 million loss a year ago, and per-share earnings of 12 cents, compared with a 23-cent loss per share in the prior period. On an adjusted basis, the company grew net income to $141 million from $78 million and grew earnings per share to 19 cents from 11 cents. Analysts had been expecting adjusted net income of $12.3 million and EPS of 14 cents, according to FactSet. Monthly active users totaled 330 million for the fourth quarter, up 4% relative to a year earlier but flat versus the third quarter. Revenue of $732 million for the quarter rose from $717 million a year ago and came in ahead of analysts’ estimates for $686.5 million. The company said it expects stock-based compensation expenses of between $350 million and $450 million for fiscal 2018 and capital expenditures of between $375 million and $450 million. “Q4 revenue growth was driven by continued strong engagement growth, improved revenue features, improved ROI, and better sales execution,” Twitter said in a release. Shares are up 44% in the past 12 months, compared with a 17% gain for the S&P 500 Index SPX.
