Why Trulia Shares Soared

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 real estate website operator Trulia surged 26% today after its quarterly results and guidance impressed Wall Street.

So what: Trulia's fourth-quarter EPS loss of $0.06 was wider than expected, but a market-topping top-line -- revenue spiked 76% to $20.6 million -- coupled with upbeat guidance for the current quarter reinforces optimism over the improving real estate trends working in its favor. In fact, close rival Zillow, which will report earnings after the close, is also rallying on the news as investors speculate on similarly strong results.

Now what: Management now sees first-quarter revenue of $20.8 million to $21.2 million, representing year-over-year growth of 71% to 74%, while Wall Street expects a top line of $19.3 million. "We finished the year on a resounding note, achieving record quarterly revenue, a rapid increase in mobile traffic, and strong subscriber growth," said CEO Pete Flint. "We are well positioned to grow in 2013 as the real estate market continues its recovery." With the stock busting through its 52-week high today and trading at a forward P/E of 40, however, I'd wait for the enthusiasm to fade before buying into that turnaround talk.

Interested in more info on Trulia? Add it to your watchlist.

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The article Why Trulia Shares Soared originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Brian Pacampara has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Zillow. The Motley Fool owns shares of Zillow. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not 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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