Although many of of the companies in the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) will announce their earnings in August, there are some companies that are expected to get going sooner and report their results this week.
One such company which I am eagerly awaiting to report is growing tech share Freelancer Ltd (ASX: FLN). Freelancer is the owner and operator of the largest outsourcing marketplace in the world. With almost 20 million users across 250 countries, Freelancer connects businesses of all sizes and budgets with freelance talent for a range of jobs including everything from accounting to web development.
According to Bloomberg, the company is expected to report its second quarter results on Thursday with analysts forecasting a 1 cent loss per share. Whilst investing in a loss-making company can be risky, I am expecting Freelancer to be profitable by the end of its fiscal year thanks to its explosive growth.
In the first quarter the company posted cash receipts of $12.8 million, up 60% from the same period last year. After a strong first quarter the market will no doubt have high expectations for the second quarter, but I feel confident it can deliver on these.
One thing in particular which has drawn me to the company is the appeal its marketplace has for small businesses. Global investment bank UBS has previously estimated a contract that would normally cost small businesses $2,000, could be as little as $200 through Freelancer's worldwide network of freelancers.
Furthermore, in a recent presentation released to the market Freelancer's management demonstrated the company's phenomenal growth potential. It singled out just the global web design market as being an opportunity worth up to $2.7 billion per year for Freelancer.
As far as I am concerned this is a company on the rise that would be a great long term investment like industry peer SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK). Although its share price has had a very turbulent year so far with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, in recent weeks it has been relatively stable and currently sits down by around 10% for the year.
This could make the current price a great entry point in my opinion. However, buying before earnings is a risky strategy so investors might want to wait for the results before making an investment.
