*By Kavitha Shastry*
Shares of Sonos dropped as much as 20 percent Tuesday after the smart speaker maker said revenues fell 6 percent in its latest quarter, and losses nearly doubled to $27 million.
It was the company's first earnings report since its highly-anticipated IPO in early August.
Losses can often be exaggerated in the quarter a company goes public due to adviser fees and compensation for employees whose options vest in the offering, but Sonos did see weakness in a couple areas ー sales of components fell more than 4 percent and revenue from home theater speakers fell 20 percent to $66.7 million. The company forecast revenue for its fiscal year ending in September at about $1.1 billion, about 12 percent higher than in 2017.
But that kind of growth didn't appear to satisfy investors who'd driven the stock price up 40 percent through Monday's close. Tuesday's declines more than erased the gains at the start of the week and brought shares to their lowest level in more than three weeks ー significant for a company that's only been public for a little over a month.
CEO Patrick Spence attributed the revenue decline in its latest quarter to elevated sales from a year ago, when Sonos launched its Playbase audio streaming device. The report did not include results from the Sonos Beam, a $400 soundbar that launched in July.
Spence said in a letter to shareholders that the home market remains a top priority for the company, but Sonos has no shortage of competition from the likes of the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple Home Pod. It even faces the risk that Amazon, whose Alexa technology is integrated with its Sonos One, could end that relationship at any time.
Sonos shares started trading on the Nasdaq on August 2 after pricing at $15 in its IPO.
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
