How did IE's Q4 2023 earnings surprise impact its annual performance?

Ivanhoe Electric's (IE) Q4 2023 earnings surprise had a significant impact on its annual performance, with the company reporting a substantial loss in earnings per share (EPS) and a slight increase in revenue compared to the previous year.

1. EPS Impact:
   • IE reported an actual EPS of -$0.38 for Q4 2023.
   • This negative EPS indicates a loss for the quarter, which is a significant negative surprise if investors were expecting a positive or neutral result.
2. Revenue Impact:
   • The company's actual revenue for Q4 2023 was $1.67 million.
   • This represents a slight increase from the previous year, which suggests that despite the loss, the company managed to generate some revenue.
3. Annual Performance Considerations:
   • To fully assess the impact on annual performance, it's necessary to compare Q4's figures to the annual EPS and revenue.
   • If Q4's revenue and EPS were significantly negative, it could have a disproportionately large effect on the annual figures, potentially leading to a larger overall loss for the year.
   • Conversely, if the annual figures were already trending downwards, Q4's slight revenue increase and relatively smaller loss could mitigate the impact of previous quarters' performance.

In conclusion, IE's Q4 2023 earnings surprise resulted in a substantial negative EPS, which, when combined with the slight revenue increase, had a significant impact on the company's annual performance, likely contributing to a loss for the year.