Shares of IT consultant EPAM Systems (EPAM 14.91%) rallied 15.5% on Thursday, as of 3:41 p.m. ET.
EPAM is a unique IT services firm, which prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine had a lot of workers in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Thus, the pivoting of the business away from Russia has been painful for the last two years, with EPAM's growth dipping into negative territory in 2023 and early 2024. However, this morning's earnings call seemed to show things may finally be turning the corner.
That gives EPAM a very interesting setup heading into 2025.
In the third quarter, EPAM's revenue grew 1.7% to $1.17 billion, with adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share of $3.12 growing 14.3% over the past year. Both figures beat analysts' expectations. Additionally, management raised its full-year revenue guidance to between $4.69 billion and $4.7 billion, up from prior guidance of $4.59 billion to $4.63 billion, while also raising its adjusted profit outlook for the year to a range between $10.73 and $10.81, up from a prior range between $10.20 to $10.40.
With a beat-and-raise quarter, it's no surprise to see the stock flying higher today.
While EPAM is soaring today and trades for 21.5 times its newly raised adjusted 2024 earnings estimates, the stock still remains 72% below 2021 all-time highs.
As you can see, prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, EPAM had been a 20%-plus grower, with growth surging to above 40% in the pandemic.
EPAM Operating Revenue (Quarterly YoY Growth) data by YCharts
While investors probably shouldn't expect a return to those growth rates, a lower interest rate environment and demand for artificial intelligence (AI) IT services could lead to a stronger 2025. Furthermore, EPAM is even a bit cheaper than its P/E ratio may indicate, as the company also holds just over $2 billion in cash, or over 15% of its market cap.
Thus, EPAM is certainly a name to have on your radar for 2025 turnaround stories.
免责声明:投资有风险,本文并非投资建议,以上内容不应被视为任何金融产品的购买或出售要约、建议或邀请,作者或其他用户的任何相关讨论、评论或帖子也不应被视为此类内容。本文仅供一般参考,不考虑您的个人投资目标、财务状况或需求。TTM对信息的准确性和完整性不承担任何责任或保证,投资者应自行研究并在投资前寻求专业建议。