Soros Fund manager George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) made a big bet on Overstock.com Inc. (OSTK, Financial) on Nov. 8, according to GuruFocus real-time picks.
Overstock.com’s share price climbed approximately $10 per share Nov. 9, the first trading day after Soros invested in 2,472,188 shares for $40.10 per share.
Company background
Salt Lake City-based Overstock.com offers an eclectic variety of furniture, home decor and jewelry products. The company said third-quarter revenues declined 4% year over year due to volatile changes in Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL, Financial) subsidiary Google’s “natural search engine algorithms.”
Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne said that even though the company reported net loss of $786,000 for the quarter, the company reported retail net income of $1.1 million. Byrne underscored the “increasingly competitive digital marketing landscape”: Overstock.com’s paid digital marketing and branding platforms performed well, especially in an industry full of “loss-gushing direct competitors.”
Byrne also detailed the company’s blockchain investments through Medici Ventures, which increased the company’s value through “various Overstock resources to help nurture” the companies desiring them.
Company offers satisfactory growth potential
GuruFocus ranks Overstock.com’s financial strength and profitability a satisfactory 6 out of 10. The company’s operating margin and net margin underperform 82% and 77% of global competitors.
Sales and marking expenses during the quarter increased 30% year over year as the company increased spending in sponsored search and television marketing channels. Although the company continues to seek growth opportunities in both retail and blockchain, Overstock.com still expects to incur additional operating expenses and losses in the short term.
See also
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Disclosure: I do not have positions in the stocks mentioned.
