Shares of Small-cap Internet Retail company Blue Apron were up 2.7% during today's afternoon session, as the S&P 500 posted a 0.7% change. Today's upwards movement shows that investor interest in APRN stock is strong — but how closely have they studied the company's margins?
While Blue Apron's gross margins for the last year are positive, we are concerned that the company's operating margins are in the red. Gross margins take into account only the cost of revenue, or variable costs — meaning the cost directly associated with producing the products or providing the service offered by the company.
Operating margins, on the other hand, take into account the company's overhead as well. Overhead, also called fixed costs, includes the company's rent, salaries for personnel not included in cost of revenue, equipment and supplies, amortization, and depreciation. Operating margins tell you about how efficiently Blue Apron is run, and gross margins tell you how profitable its product line is.
| Date Reported | Revenue ($) | Cost of Revenue ($) | Gross Margins (%) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-31 | 470,377,000.0 | 301,763,000.0 | 35.85 | -7.08 |
| 2020-12-31 | 460,608,000.0 | 282,924,000.0 | 38.58 | -0.13 |
| 2019-12-31 | 454,868,000.0 | 279,135,000.0 | 38.63 | 10.15 |
| 2018-12-31 | 667,600,000.0 | 433,496,000.0 | 35.07 | n/a |
Blue Apron's gross margins are generally stable. However the table below tells us that, on average, Blue Apron has not been profitable over the last four years, which should be a warning sign to prospective investors. Indeed, the company's operating margins are sinking at an average rate of -12.5%
| Date Reported | Total Revenue ($) | Operating Expenses ($) | Operating Margins (%) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-31 | 470,377,000.0 | 541,494,000.0 | -15.12 | -104.88 |
| 2020-12-31 | 460,608,000.0 | 494,608,000.0 | -7.38 | 30.25 |
| 2019-12-31 | 454,868,000.0 | 503,003,000.0 | -10.58 | 37.02 |
| 2018-12-31 | 667,600,000.0 | 779,778,000.0 | -16.8 | n/a |
