Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) shares were down more than 1% on Thursday morning despite reporting better-than-expected 3Q results the prior evening.
The company's earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter were $0.64, while revenues reached $636.3 million, representing a 7% year-over-year increase. These figures exceeded the consensus estimates of $0.50 in EPS and $631.27 million in revenue.
The revenue growth was primarily attributed to strong performance in Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) Ads, payments revenue, and transaction fee revenue from Offsite Ads, the company noted.
Despite facing challenges from a dynamic macroeconomic environment affecting consumer discretionary spending and the mid-quarter divestiture of Elo7, consolidated Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS) rose by 1.2% year-over-year to $3 billion.
Within Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY)'s marketplace, GMS reached $2.7 billion, a 1% increase from the previous year. Additionally, active buyers increased by 4% year-over-year, reaching an all-time high of 92 million.
Threat to market share
CEO Josh Silverman acknowledged the challenging environment for consumer discretionary spending and its potential impact on growth for the current quarter. For 4Q 2023, the company anticipates a low single-digit decline in GMS year-over-year, with a possibility of a mid-single-digit decline if trends worsen.
However, analysts have expressed concerns about competing online platforms aggressively marketing products in the same space, which could affect Etsy's outlook.
“Despite gaining share within key categories, Etsy is losing share overall to ‘value’ retailers amid weakness in lower-income (<$100K) cohorts, Temu/Shein on more aggressive marketing and broad consumer shift away from discretionary items,” analysts at Oppenheimer wrote following the 3Q results.
As a result, Oppenheimer has reduced Etsy's price target from $90 to $70, taking into consideration the uncertainties surrounding the impact on Etsy's business model and potential execution risks. This revised target implies a 19% discount to peers.