Coupang (NYSE:CPNG) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Coupang (NYSE:CPNG) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.03), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $8.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.12 billion. Coupang had a return on equity of 6.95% and a net margin of 1.16%.

Here are the key takeaways from Coupang’s conference call:

• Coupang disclosed a data incident in which a former employee illegally accessed information from more than 33 million accounts and retained data from roughly 3,000 Korean and 1 Taiwan account; third‑party forensics say the data was limited to contact and order details (no financial data, passwords, or government IDs), but investigations remain ongoing and the company issued approximately $1.2 billion in customer vouchers as remediation.
• Q4 showed slowing top‑line and margin pressure — Product Commerce net revenue was $7.4 billion (up 8% YoY; 12% constant currency) and consolidated revenue was $8.8 billion, while adjusted EBITDA fell to $267 million (down 37% YoY) and free cash flow declined ~50% to $527 million; management expects muted near‑term growth and guides Developing Offerings losses of $950 million–$1 billion for 2026.
• Developing Offerings — especially Taiwan — remain a growth engine: Taiwan delivered triple‑digit revenue growth, with ~75% of December volume delivered next‑day via Coupang’s own last‑mile network covering ~70% of the country, reportedly without meaningful increases in variable unit cost.
• Capital allocation and liquidity strength — Coupang repurchased about 5.9 million shares this quarter, has used $243 million of a $1 billion buyback authorization, and ended the period with over $6 billion in cash, leaving flexibility for further buybacks or strategic investment.

Coupang Trading Up 1.5%

CPNG traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $18.64. 27,381,940 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 25,643,307. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $20.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.53. Coupang has a 1-year low of $16.74 and a 1-year high of $34.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 88.77 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Key Coupang News

Here are the key news stories impacting Coupang this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue grew 11% year-over-year to $8.84 billion, showing continued demand and scale in Coupang’s marketplaces. Coupang reports Q4 revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: The company remains modestly profitable on the quarter (net margin ~1.16%, ROE ~6.95%), which some investors may view as evidence of operational leverage as scale grows. View Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst pieces on valuation and high P/E multiples are generating mixed investor views — some focus on growth potential, others on expensive multiples given recent execution misses. Valuation analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings missed expectations: EPS of ($0.01) vs. consensus $0.02, and revenue of $8.84B missed the $9.12B consensus — the misses are the primary near-term negative catalyst. Earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: South Korea’s regulator fined Coupang ~$1.6 million for pressuring suppliers and delaying payments — a reputational/regulatory headwind that can increase scrutiny and costs. Regulatory fine
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing fallout from a prior massive data breach has invited rivals to try to win market share, creating competitive pressure that management highlighted ahead of the earnings release. Data breach fallout

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CPNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Coupang in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research raised Coupang from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Coupang from $40.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Coupang from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coupang from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Coupang presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.70.

Insider Activity at Coupang

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Lee sold 2,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.62, for a total value of $63,277.98. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 122,096 shares in the company, valued at $2,883,907.52. This represents a 2.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 12.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CPNG. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Coupang during the third quarter worth $26,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Coupang during the third quarter valued at $52,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Coupang during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. EFG International AG acquired a new stake in Coupang during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Coupang in the 3rd quarter worth about $76,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.72% of the company’s stock.

About Coupang

Coupang, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CPNG, is a South Korean e-commerce company headquartered in Seoul. Founded in 2010 by Bom Kim, the company grew rapidly by combining an online marketplace with a large direct-retail business model. Coupang completed a primary listing in the United States in 2021, and it has become one of South Korea’s leading online retailers by focusing on convenience, speed and a wide product assortment across consumer categories.

The company operates a vertically integrated e-commerce platform that includes a customer-facing marketplace and an extensive logistics and fulfillment network.