FanDuel parent Flutter rises after reporting better-than-expected Q1 sales and earnings
Flutter Entertainment rose in aftermarket trading Wednesday after reporting better-than-expected Q1 earnings and revenue. The rally recouped losses during regular trading hours that followed a CNBC report on the departure of Amy Howe, the CEO of Flutter’s FanDuel sports betting unit.
Flutter reported:
Q1 revenue of $4.30 billion vs. Wall Street expectations for $4.24 billion.
Adjusted earnings per share of $1.22 vs. the $1.09 forecast, per FactSet.
Adjusted EBITDA of $631 million vs. expectations for $610.9 million.
Full-year sales guidance of $18.31 billion at the midpoint vs. its previous estimate of $18.40 billion and analyst expectations for $18.35 billion.
Full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $2.865 billion vs. its previous midpoint estimate of $2.97 billion.
While FanDuel is the leader in the US online sports betting market, it’s considered something of a laggard in prediction markets, an area of fast growth for the industry, in part because it’s exposed to relatively lighter regulation.
(For instance, in most states, gaming commissions limit sports betting to those 21 and older, whereas sports-based events contracts typically have lower age restrictions, thus expanding their potential universe of customers.)
Flutter’s inability to come up with a prediction markets product that investors find convincing has contributed to its falling share price, which is down roughly 50% since the start of the year. Rival DraftKings is down a relatively better 30% over that period.