Etsy (ETSY) Stock Soars 11% as First Quarter Results Crush Expectations

Key Highlights

• First quarter revenue reached $631.3M, surpassing Wall Street’s $621M projection
• Marketplace gross merchandise sales increased 5.5% YoY to $2.5B — ending more than two years of contraction
• Earnings per share from continuing operations totaled $0.89, crushing the $0.62 forecast
• Platform added active buyers on a sequential basis for the first time since early 2024
• Shares of ETSY climbed approximately 11% in response to the earnings release

The online marketplace operator delivered first quarter 2026 revenue totaling $631.3 million, exceeding Wall Street’s consensus forecast by roughly $10 million. The upside surprise stemmed primarily from renewed expansion in gross merchandise sales, which climbed 5.5% compared to the year-ago period to reach $2.5 billion across the Etsy platform.

This GMS performance represents a significant inflection point, ending a prolonged period of year-over-year declines. The previous quarter registered a 0.5% contraction, making this the first time in more than 24 months that the company posted positive annual GMS growth.

Etsy, Inc., ETSY

Earnings per share from continuing operations registered $0.89, significantly outpacing analyst expectations of $0.62. Continuing operations generated net income of $104.7 million, marking a dramatic reversal from the $35.1 million net loss recorded in the same quarter last year, when results were impacted by a $101.7 million asset impairment charge.

Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations totaled $184.7 million, translating to a margin of 29.3%. The organization also executed approximately $145 million in share repurchases throughout the quarter, reducing the outstanding share count by roughly 2.7 million.

Chief Executive Kruti Patel Goyal characterized the quarter as displaying “encouraging signals” that strategic growth initiatives are gaining traction, expressing heightened confidence in the company’s capacity to convert recent progress into sustained long-term expansion.

User Engagement Metrics Show Improvement

The platform recorded sequential growth in active buyers for the first time in two years. Spending per active buyer on a trailing twelve-month basis hit $122 — marking the first year-over-year increase since late 2022 and the fourth consecutive quarter of sequential gains.

Transactions conducted via mobile applications rose 11.2% year-over-year, with app-based purchases accounting for approximately 47% of total gross merchandise sales.

Chief Financial Officer Lanny Baker informed Reuters that consumer demand across Etsy has remained consistent regardless of income bracket, despite ongoing concerns about inflation and tariff-related economic uncertainty affecting consumer spending power. He emphasized that the company faces minimal direct tariff exposure, given that roughly 90% of materials utilized by sellers in production are obtained from domestic sources.

Traffic driven by artificial intelligence tools continues expanding on the marketplace, though Baker acknowledged it currently represents only a low single-digit percentage of overall platform activity, limiting its near-term financial impact.

Forward Guidance and Depop Transaction

For the second quarter of 2026, the company projected marketplace GMS in the range of $2.48 billion to $2.53 billion, implying year-over-year growth of 3% to 5%. Management anticipates a take rate of roughly 25.7% and adjusted EBITDA margin between 27% and 29%.

For the complete fiscal year, the company now forecasts low single-digit GMS growth for the Etsy marketplace — representing an upgrade from previous guidance — while reaffirming its full-year adjusted EBITDA margin target of 28% to 30%.

Management indicated it anticipates positive year-over-year GMS growth throughout each quarter of 2026.

The company ended the first quarter holding $1.6 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments.

These financial results do not incorporate Depop, which the company agreed to divest to eBay for $1.2 billion in a transaction announced in February. The sale is anticipated to finalize by the conclusion of the third quarter of 2026.

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Source: https://blockonomi.com/etsy-etsy-stock-soars-11-as-first-quarter-results-crush-expectations/