How did OTLY's Q4 2024 earnings surprise impact investor sentiment?

**Oatly Group AB's (OTLY) Q4 2024 earnings surprise had a negative impact on investor sentiment**, as evidenced by the following points:

1. **Revenue Growth Slowdown**: Oatly revised its full-year guidance, expecting revenue growth to be near or slightly below the low end of the previously provided range. This implied a slowdown in revenue growth to around 7% in Q4 2024, which likely contributed to investor concerns about the company's growth prospects.
2. **Category Sluggishness in the UK**: The sluggish growth of the plant-based milk category, especially in the UK, poses a challenge to revenue growth. This regional weakness may have further dampened investor sentiment, as the UK has been a significant market for Oatly.
3. **International Expansion Challenges**: The international expansion markets, particularly Southeast Asia, experienced a 4% volume decline due to increased competition. This could have raised questions among investors about Oatly's ability to sustain its global market position.
4. **Financial Performance**: Oatly reported a quarterly adjusted EBITDA loss of $5 million, despite improvements. This financial performance, coupled with the revenue growth slowdown, may have led to concerns about the company's profitability and operational efficiency.
5. **Analyst Expectations**: The company's reported EPS for the quarter was a loss of $0.06, which was lower than the same quarter last year when the company reported EPS of $0.07. This decline in earnings per share may have contributed to a negative sentiment among investors.
6. **Stock Price Reaction**: The stock price of Oatly Group AB decreased by 2.24% following the earnings release. This decline suggests that investor sentiment was negatively affected by the earnings surprise.

In conclusion, Oatly's Q4 2024 earnings surprise, with a reported loss and a slowdown in revenue growth, likely led to a decline in investor sentiment due to concerns about the company's financial performance, market challenges, and growth prospects.