So, Shopify has been shaking things up recently with some interesting moves. After posting some really impressive numbers during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, like many e-commerce companies, they hit a bit of a rough patch in 2022 thanks to the reopening economy and overall weak global economy. This led to a dip in consumer spending and impacted Shopify’s gross merchandise value (GMV) and revenue growth. But instead of letting this get them down, they made a bold move and decided to sell off their logistics arm, a decision that investors seemed to really dig.

You see, Shopify started off as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, offering a user-friendly platform for small businesses to sell their products online. Over time, they started to offer more services like payment processing, logistics, lending, and other tools to help merchants run their businesses. But as they grew and expanded, things got a bit too complex. The management team’s attention was getting pulled in too many directions and it was detracting from their main goal of building the best commerce platform out there. So, they made the decision to sell their logistics arm to Flexport, which not only gave them a 13% stake in Flexport but also allowed Flexport to continue providing top-notch logistics services for Shopify’s merchants. This move lets the Shopify team refocus on what they do best, which is creating top-tier commerce software and solutions for merchants.

Now, even with all these changes, Shopify has been posting some pretty solid numbers in the first quarter of 2023. They reported GMV growth of 15% and a revenue surge of 25% to $1.5 billion. Plus, they posted a positive free cash flow of $86 million, a huge improvement from the negative free cash flow they had in the previous period. They even expect their revenue to continue growing at a similar rate in the second quarter of 2023 and anticipate a positive free cash flow for every quarter of this year. From the looks of it, Shopify seems to have bounced back from their low point.

If you’re thinking about investing in Shopify, there’s one crucial thing to keep in mind: their valuation. Even though the company’s valuation has come down compared to the past, with a current price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 13.7 as opposed to their five-year average of 29, their P/S ratio is still significantly higher than that of Amazon, which stands at 2.2. Now, while some people might be okay with Shopify’s premium valuation given their significant future prospects, others might be put off by such a high price tag.

In summary, Shopify surprised everyone with a strong performance in the first quarter of 2023, showing solid growth and a positive cash flow. They’ve also made some strategic moves that could position them well for future market share gains. However, their stock is still pretty expensive, which might be a deal breaker for some people.