RESTON, Va. (AP) — ComScore, a research firm that helps customers measure audiences and markets, returned to a profit in its fourth quarter as it reported double-digit revenue growth.
The Reston, Va., company also announced Tuesday that co-founder and CEO Magi Abraham will become executive chairman, with Serge Matta named as its new CEO.
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Its stock jumped in midday trading on Tuesday.
ComScore Inc. earned $170,000, which was breakeven on a per share basis, for the three months ended Dec. 31. A year earlier it lost $1.6 million, or 5 cents per share. Removing stock-based compensation and other items, earnings were 32 cents per share.
Revenue rose 12 percent to $76.5 million from $68.4 million.
For the year, comScore Inc. lost $2.3 million, or 7 cents per share. In the prior year it lost $11.8 million, or 35 cents per share. Annual revenue increased 12 percent to $286.9 million from $255.2 million.
For 2014, comScore anticipates revenue between $316.5 million and $327.5 million. It predicts first-quarter revenue in a range of $74.8 million to $76.7 million.
ComScore said that Matta’s appointment as CEO is effective on March 1. He joined the company shortly after its creation in 1999. Matta has served as president since June.
Abraham is taking over the executive chairman post from co-founder Gian Fulgoni, who will become chairman emeritus.
On Monday, comScore said that it was teaming with Google Inc. to offer a real-time audience metric created to help brand marketers measure campaigns across screens. ComScore vCE will be available to DoubleClick marketer and publisher clients.
ComScore vCE will initially be available in the U.S. later this year for desktop-based display and video ads. There are plans to eventually expand the service for mobile and cross-platform. ComScore said that it will also continue to offer vCE independent of the DoubleClick platform.
Shares of comScore added $1.70, or 6 percent, to $29.50 in midday trading. Its shares have almost doubled since a year ago.
