What happened
Shares of Veritone (VERI 10.31%) slumped 23.8% in July, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The loss appears to have had more to do with investors cooling on the stock after months of stellar gains than any business specific news.
Veritone's share price lost ground early in the month, but it posted big gains after the company published a press release updating its second-quarter guidance on July 9. However, improved targets for the second quarter weren't enough to extend the artificial intelligence (AI) company's tremendous months-long winning streak through July.
Image source: Getty Images.
So what
The company increased its sales target for the second quarter to between $13.1 million and $13.3 million, up from its previous target for sales between $11.8 million and $12.2 million. The company expects its non-GAAP (adjusted) net loss for the period to be between $5.8 million and $6 million, and it anticipates that its adjusted loss will continue declining in sequential quarters.
For context, the business's adjusted net loss in Q1 was $6.7 million. Sales for the first quarter came in at $11.9 million, down 4.4% sequentially and 1.8% year over year. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) revenue for the company's aiWARE platform increased 13% year over year to $3.1 million. Advertising sales for the period came in at $6 million, down 7.7% sequentially but up roughly 5.2% year over year.
Now what
Veritone stock has bounced back in August's trading. The company's share price is up roughly 14.7% in the month so far.
Veritone has a market capitalization of roughly $350 million and is valued at roughly 6.6 times this year's expected sales. The company's small size and initiatives in the fast-growing AI industry do create explosive potential for the stock and help explain its stellar run in 2020, but the company's artificial intelligence business currently accounts for well under half of sales and isn't growing terribly fast.
Investors should get a more detailed update on the business when Veritone publishes Q2 results and hosts an earnings call after the market closes on Aug. 10.
