Block revenue misses Street expectation, shares slide
Adds analyst comment in paragraphs 5-6, consent order in paragraph 7
By Arasu Kannagi Basil and Atharva Singh
Nov 7 (Reuters) -Payments firm Block SQ.N reported third-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations on Thursday, signaling softer consumer spending and overshadowing a profit beat that was powered by disciplined expense management.
Shares of the company fell more than 10% in extended trading before paring losses to below 4%.
Consumer spending has normalized from the post-pandemic bounce when Americans splurged on travel and dining out. Analysts believe a soft landing for the economy could boost consumer confidence and reignite spending growth.
Block's total net revenue of$5.98 billion in the reported quarter missedexpectations of $6.24 billion, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.
Running Point Capital's chief investment officer, Michael Ashley Schulman, said traders were "probably reacting to their revenue miss which might be a harbinger of larger problems - that they (Block) may be losing transactions to competitors."
Schulman added that aftermarket trading may have overreacted as Block reported improvement across most profitability metrics.
Separately, Block disclosed it had received a draft consent order from the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in August tied to an investigation of Cash App's handling of customer complaints and disputes.
It also said itwas in discussions with several money transmission license regulators regarding its compliance program, including its anti-money laundering program.
Blockis in talks to see if the matters can be settled on "acceptable" terms, which could result in one or more public orders, it said.
Still, Block's focus on disciplined expense management helped it beat profit estimates. It has cut jobs, trimmed its real estate footprint, and reduced discretionary spending to drive "profitable growth".
On an adjusted basis, Block earned 88 cents per share, beating expectations of 87 cents.
Block's results cap off the earnings season for payments firms, closely watched by analysts to assess the health of U.S. consumers.
Block shares have dipped 2.7% in 2024, underperforming bigger rival PayPal's PYPL.O 32.5% jump.
Block shares have underperformed YTD https://reut.rs/4fCbILl
Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil and Atharva Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel
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