Snap warns inflation could hit revenue growth, forecasts higher users

Snap Inc (SNAP.N) on Thursday forecast a rosy outlook for user growth on its Snapchat app but said supply-chain disruptions and inflation could continue to hurt advertising demand.

Shares of Snap fell as much as 10% immediately after the results but pared losses later on as investors digested the mixed results.

Snap forecasts second-quarter daily active users at between 343 million and 345 million, above Wall Street estimates of 340 million.

However, the company warned that inflation, labour shortages and other economic challenges could pressure revenue. It forecast second-quarter revenue growth between 20% and 25% over the previous year. The growth rate so far in the current quarter has been 30%.

The Santa Monica, California-based company is the first of the major tech apps to report first-quarter earnings, and the results could cast a shadow over Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) and Twitter Inc (TWTR.N), which also earn revenue by selling digital advertising and will report results next week.

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A large number of advertisers paused their ad campaigns in the days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, said Snap Chief Financial Officer Derek Andersen, in prepared remarks released before an earnings call with analysts.

While the majority of advertisers resumed their campaigns, many remained concerned about inflation and continuing geopolitical risk, he said.

Revenue for the first quarter ended March 31 was $1.06 billion, an increase of 38% from the prior-year quarter. The figure missed analyst expectations of $1.07 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Daily active users on Snapchat rose 18% year-over-year to 332 million, beating consensus estimates of 329.7 million users.