Shopify ($SHOP) Reported Q1 Revenue for 2024

Canadian e-commerce platform Shopify ( SHOP ) has reported its slowest quarterly revenue growth in two years, with its U.S. shares slumping 20.5% in premarket trading. The company's core clientele, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), have been more susceptible to the hit from sticky inflation. Analysts estimated current-quarter revenue to grow 19.35%, according to LSEG data. The company expects operating expenses to be up at a low-to-mid-single digit percentage rate for the second quarter, compared with a 4% fall in the first three months of the year.

Shopify ( SHOP ) reported first-quarter revenue of $1.86 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.85 billion. Excluding items, earnings of 20 cents per share also topped expectations of 17 cents.

Shopify Inc. ( SHOP ) announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, said that the company had a strong start to the year, building on the performance of 2023, delivering year-over-year revenue growth for the quarter of 23%, or 29% when adjusting for the sale of its logistics businesses, combined with 12% free cash flow margin.

First-Quarter Financial Highlights
Gross Merchandise Volume1 ("GMV") increased 23% to $60.9 billion, an increase of $11.3 billion over the first quarter of 2023. Revenue increased 23% to $1.9 billion compared to the prior year, resulting in a year-over-year growth of 29% after adjusting for the sale of its logistics businesses. Merchant Solutions revenue increased 20% to $1.4 billion compared to the prior year, driven primarily by the growth of GMV and continued penetration of Shopify Payments. Gross Payments Volume2 ("GPV") grew to $36.2 billion, representing 60% of GMV processed in the quarter, versus $27.5 billion, or 56%, for the first quarter of 2023. Subscription Solutions revenue increased 34% to $511 million compared to the prior year, driven by the growth in the number of merchants and pricing increases on our standard subscription plans.

Monthly Recurring Revenue as of March 31, 2024 increased 32% to $151 million compared to the prior year, driven by continued growth across all of our subscription plans. Gross profit dollars grew 33% to $957 million compared to the prior year. Gross margin for the quarter was 51.4% compared to 47.5% in the first quarter of 2023, driven primarily by the lack of the dilutive impact of the logistics businesses and changes in pricing from standard plans, partially offset by the continued growth of Shopify Payments.

Free cash flow was $232 million compared to $86 million in the prior year, and free cash flow margin for the quarter was 12% compared to 6% in the first quarter of 2023.