Smartsheet Surges on Narrower-Than-Expected Loss, Upbeat Outlook

Shares of Smartsheet   (SMAR) - Get Report rose sharply in after-hours trading Monday after the company reported a narrower-than-expected third-quarter loss, offered upbeat guidance and named a new CFO.

Smartsheet reported a non-GAAP loss of 12 cents a share on revenue of $98.9 million for the quarter. It had been expected to report a loss of $26.4 million, or 21 cents a share, on sales of $94.6 million, based on a FactSet survey of 16 analysts.

In the same period a year ago, the company posted a loss of 15 cents a share on sales of $71.5 million. It reported a loss of 19.1 million.

For the fourth quarter, Smartsheet forecast total revenue of $102 million to $103 million and non-GAAP loss per share of 15 cents to 13 cents, based on a weighted average of 121.5 shares outstanding.

For the year ahead, the company forecast total revenue of $378 million to $379 million and a non-GAAP net loss per share of 44 cents to 42 cents, assuming a weighted average shares outstanding of about 120 million

“Our third quarter was highlighted by continued strength with large deals, a new high water mark for our Government business, and a successful ENGAGE Conference with nearly 60,000 registrants," said Mark Mader, president and CEO of Smartsheet, in a statement.

Separately, the company said it had named Pete Godbole as chief financial officer. Godbole was previously CFO at Hearsay and GoodData.

Shares of Smartsheet rose $9.32, or 15%, to $71.83 in after-hours trading Monday. 

The stock had gained 1.5% in the regular session on a mixed day for Wall Street that saw techs gain, but other stocks tread water in anticipation of an economic stimulus bill from Congress.