Peloton Interactive surged Thursday after the at-home fitness company turned in better financial results than expected as it works to turn itself around.
Peloton reported an adjusted fiscal fourth-quarter loss of 8 cents a share from revenue of $643.6 million. Analysts surveyed by FactSet were expecting the company to report a loss of 17 cents a share on revenue of $628 million. In the fourth quarter last year, Peloton posted an adjusted loss of 68 cents a share.
This is the first time Peloton’s loss was narrower than analysts expected since the March quarter in 2021, according to FactSet.
“We ended the 2024 fiscal year with strong Q4 performance, meeting or exceeding our guidance on all key metrics and making continued progress on a number of our financial goals,” Peloton said in a letter to shareholders.
Peloton’s outlook for the current fiscal year was less upbeat than Wall Street expected. It forecast fiscal 2025 revenue of between $2.4 billion and $2.5 billion, which is both below analysts’ expectations for $2.69 billion and would represent a decline from fiscal 2024 revenue of $2.7 billion. Peloton also forecast it will have between 2.68 million and 2.75 million paid connected-fitness subscriptions in fiscal 2025, compared with Wall Street estimates of 2.98 million.
“Our revenue outlook is tempered by uncertainty surrounding our ability to efficiently grow Paid Connected Fitness and Paid App subscribers, including an assumption that our investments in new initiatives will not deliver subscriber growth within the fiscal year, as well as an uncertain macroeconomic outlook,” Peloton said.
Shares of Peloton were up 35% Thursday to $4.55 and notched their largest percentage increase on record, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The stock is still down 25% this year.
It has been a difficult time for Peloton. Demand for the company’s gear for working out at home has taken a hit as people have returned to the gym since the end of the pandemic.
Peloton beat fiscal fourth-quarter revenue estimates.
The company has been trying to improve sales by introducing new products and partnering with tech companies such as Amazon.com and Alphabet’s Google. Google said earlier this month that Fitbit Premium users will have access to a library of video workout classes from Peloton.
Peloton announced a turnaround plan in May that included cost-cutting initiatives and layoffs. It said at the time that Chief Executive Officer Barry McCarthy was stepping down. But on a Thursday call to discuss the results, Peloton said that while it is looking for a successor, it doesn’t know when the next CEO will start work.
“Last quarter, we talked a lot about bringing the business to solid financial footing by generating free cash flow and operating the business towards sustainable, profitable growth,” interim co-CEO Karen Boone said on the call.
She said the quarterly results showed “continued progress in achieving these financial objectives, delivering a second consecutive quarter with both positive free cash flow and adjusted Ebitda, something we have not achieved in the last few years.”
Most analysts who cover the stock remain on the sidelines. Of the 22 surveyed by FactSet, three say the stock is a Buy, 16 say it is a Hold, and three recommend that investors sell.
TD Cowen analyst John Blackledge rates Peloton at Hold with a $3 price target. Blackledge wrote in a research note on Tuesday that while postpandemic changes to consumer behavior have affected demand and Peloton’s potential to grow, “longer term, PTON is likely well positioned to take advantage of favorable health and wellness trends and a demand for convenient fitness options that should drive secular tailwinds.”
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