Why Monster Worldwide's Shares Jumped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of online recruiter Monster Worldwide (NYS: MWW) jumped as much as 17.5% today after announcing earnings that beat expectations.

So what: This isn't a case of great growth, but rather an earnings report that wasn't as bad as analysts had expected. Revenue fell 6% to $246.1 million, and earnings per share were $0.04. Analysts had expected $240 million in revenue and a $0.02 profit per share.

Now what: The report may have beaten expectations, but I'm not even thinking about jumping into these shares right now. Revenue is also expected to decline in the second quarter, and earnings per share are only expected to be between $0.04 and $0.08. With shares trading at 20 times forward estimates, I'll look for a company that's growing instead of contracting if I'm going to pay that price.

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At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no position in any company mentioned. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings, or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw.Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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