Formerly known as Square, Block's shares rose 10 percent in extended trading even
though the company, formerly known as Square, reported a lower-than-anticipated
adjusted profit as demand for bitcoin weakened due to a decline in
cryptocurrency prices.
The company, which offers merchant payment services and an
app that lets people trade the cryptocurrency, closed its $29 billion
acquisition of Australian buy-now-pay-later pioneer Afterpay Ltd during the
quarter.
The deal created a transaction giant that competes with
banks and tech firms in the financial sector's fastest-growing business.
Afterpay contributed $92 million to the first quarter's
gross profit, which was recorded under the Square and Cash app units. That
helped Cash App — a service that lets individuals send payments including in
bitcoin — post a 26 percent jump in gross profit.
"We expect Cash App and Square to sequentially grow
gross profit each quarter throughout the year, even excluding Afterpay,
assuming the macroeconomic environment remains stable," Chief Financial
Officer Amrita Ahuja said.
"Through April, we have not yet seen a deterioration in
overall consumer spending," she said, adding that Afterpay's gross
merchandise value — the value of all goods sold — was expected to rise 15
percent in April.
Block posted operating earnings, known as adjusted EBITDA,
of $195 million, ahead of the Wall Street average expectation of $136 million,
according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
In the three months ended March 31, revenue fell 22 percent
to $3.96 billion. The company earned an adjusted profit of 18 cents per share,
below analysts' estimates of 21 cents.
The company's bitcoin revenue halved to $1.73 billion, hit
by a drop in interest from retail traders as prices of the cryptocurrency
retreated after a sharp rally last year that was fueled by its rising
acceptance in the mainstream. © Reuters
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