Spotify will report its quarterly earnings before the opening bell on Wednesday. A survey of analysts by Consumer Research Intelligence Partners hints at a solid Q4. Spotify stock closed up 1% Monday and 2.4% in pre market trading Tuesday on news that the streamer was in talks to acquire podcaster Gimlet Media for $200 million.
But a solid report still means a loss for the growing streamer. On average, analysts expect a Spotify loss of 22 cents per share on revenue of $1.72 billion.
What To Look For
Continued user and paid subscriber growth is driving investor optimism, and any new numbers will be viewed critically.
Global expansion is key to Spotify’s continued growth, and early numbers from a recent launch in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as, any explanation of last week’s delayed launch in India will also be eyed closely.
But for Spotify, with growth comes increased payments to rights holders. So, how fast the streamer is converting free users to paid, and how much all users are tuning into less expensive content like podcasts will offer a glimpse at future profitability.