Wayfair's Q4 Reinforces Andrew Left's Short Thesis

Shares of Wayfair Inc W fell more than 7 percent on Thursday after the company reported its fourth quarter results.

Wayfair reported it lost $0.34 per share in the fourth quarter on revenue of $984.6 million. Wall Street analysts were expecting the company to lose $0.50 per share on revenue of $975 million. The company reported a net loss of $194.4 million for the full fiscal year.

Andrew Left: Q4 Reinforces Short Thesis

Citron Research, a notable short seller, identified Wayfair as a compelling short back in 2015.

Citron's Andrew Left told Benzinga in November of 2016 that Wayfair's business model is akin to Overstock.com, but with one notable difference -- Overstock "has better brand recognition and higher traffic."

Left added at the time that Wayfair's stock, which was trading around $31.50, should be "cut in half."

Left Updates

Thursday morning, Left told Benzinga Wayfair's report was "horrendous" and the stock should be valued at $25 per share, which represents downside of more than 30 percent.

Left also said Wayfair's report demonstrates management has no path towards profitability as the company continues to burn through cash to acquire new customers.

Overall, the trajectory of the business "is not good."