The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Shutterstock (NYSE:SSTK) and the rest of the online marketplace stocks fared in Q4.

Marketplaces have existed for centuries. Where once it was a main street in a small town or a mall in the suburbs, sellers benefitted from proximity to one another because they could draw customers by offering convenience and selection. Today, a myriad of online marketplaces fulfill that same role, aggregating large customer bases, which attracts commission-paying sellers, generating flywheel scale effects that feed back into further customer acquisition.

The 15 online marketplace stocks we track reported a slower Q4; on average, revenues beat analyst consensus estimates by 1.8%, while next quarter's revenue guidance was 0.7% above consensus. Inflation progressed towards the Fed's 2% goal at the end of 2023, leading to strong stock market performance. The start of 2024 has been a bumpier ride, as the market switches between optimism and pessimism around rate cuts due to mixed inflation data, and online marketplace stocks have held roughly steady amidst all this, with share prices up 3.5% on average since the previous earnings results.

Weakest Q4: Shutterstock (NYSE:SSTK)

Originally featuring a library that included many of founder Jon Oringer’s photos, Shutterstock (NYSE:SSTK) is now a digital platform where customers can license and use hundreds of millions of pieces of content.

Shutterstock reported revenues of $217.2 million, down 0.2% year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 3%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with full-year revenue guidance missing analysts' expectations and a decline in its users.

Commenting on the Company's performance, Paul Hennessy, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, said, "Shutterstock delivered record revenues and profitability in 2023 and significantly exceeded our targets set out at the beginning of the year.

Shutterstock delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and weakest full-year guidance update of the whole group. The company reported 523,000 users, down 10.8% year on year. The stock is down 8.1% since the results and currently trades at $40.86.

Read our full report on Shutterstock here, it's free.

Best Q4: MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI)

Originally started as an online auction platform, MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) is a one-stop e-commerce marketplace and fintech platform in Latin America.

MercadoLibre reported revenues of $4.26 billion, up 41.9% year on year, outperforming analyst expectations by 2.8%. It was an impressive quarter for the company, with revenue, total payment volume (TPV), and gross merchandise volume (GMV) exceeding analysts' estimates.

MercadoLibre scored the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The company reported 145 million daily active users, up 49.5% year on year. The stock is down 25.1% since the results and currently trades at $1,365.

Is now the time to buy MercadoLibre? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.

Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC)

Founded to help people in rural areas get online medical consultations, Teladoc Health (NYSE:TDOC) is a telemedicine platform that facilitates remote doctor’s visits.

Teladoc reported revenues of $660.5 million, up 3.6% year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 1.6%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with full-year revenue guidance missing analysts' expectations and underwhelming revenue guidance for the next quarter.

The stock is down 36.6% since the results and currently trades at $13.

Read our full analysis of Teladoc's results here.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH)

Aiming to address a high-stakes and often confusing decision, eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) guides consumers through health insurance enrollment and related topics.

eHealth reported revenues of $247.7 million, up 26.2% year on year, surpassing analyst expectations by 1.1%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with a decline in its users.

The company reported 1.26 billion users, down 6% year on year. The stock is down 34.1% since the results and currently trades at $4.65.

Read our full, actionable report on eHealth here, it's free.

Sea (NYSE:SE)

Founded in 2009 and a publicly traded company since 2017, Sea (NYSE:SE) started as a gaming platform and has since expanded to offer a variety of services such as e-commerce, digital payments, and financial services across Southeast Asia.

Sea reported revenues of $3.64 billion, up 5.5% year on year, surpassing analyst expectations by 2.5%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with a decline in its users and slow revenue growth.

The company reported 39.7 million users, down 8.9% year on year. The stock is up 9.7% since the results and currently trades at $56.

Read our full, actionable report on Sea here, it's free.

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