Yahoo pleased with earnings, misses Wall Street estimates
updated 09:33 pm EST, Mon January 28, 2013
Quarterly earnings less than 2011, analysts still happy
Earlier this afternoon, Yahoo released its highly-anticipated quarterly and yearly financial results. The search engine posted revenue of $1.346 billion for the fourth quarter of 2012, a 2 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2011. Despite the increase, net earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $272 million, an eight percent decrease from the same period of 2011. Earnings for the entire year was $3.945 billion including a one-time gain of $2.755 million related to the sale of Alibaba shares, compared to $1.049 billion for the prior year.
Search revenue for the fourth quarter was $482 million, a four percent increase from 2011. Paid clicks on sponsored listings on Yahoo properties and affiliate sites increased 11 percent from 2011, and grew eight percent compared to the third quarter of 2012. Price-per-click increased one percent from the fourth quarter of 2011, and decreased two percent compared to the third quarter of 2012.
Improvements for 2012 are listed by the company as a strengthening of its board of directors in its appointment of Max Levchin. Improvements to Yahoo Mail and Flickr were noted, as well as distribution and branding deals with NBC Sports. A partnership with Samsung which enabled enhanced interactivity with SmartTVs produced by the Korean manufacturer is hoped to help the bottom line in 2013.
Yahoo's shares rose slightly in after-hours striding, climbing 3.15 percent to $20.95 per share. The quarterly results fell short of Wall Street expectations.
