The Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) share price is 0.61% higher as of 10:15 am this morning, at $23.995 a piece.
The company's share price has grown steadily since April 2023. Over the past year alone, the share price has risen 145.85%.
That means, from the current trading price, $10,000 invested in Temple & Webster shares just one year ago would now be worth a whopping $24,585.
The retailer's gains have far outpaced those of many other stocks on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). For context, over the same period, the ASX 200 has risen 7.73%.
What is Temple & Webster?
Temple & Webster is a leading Australian online-only furniture and homewares retailer. Some of its products include office furniture, lighting, rugs, wall art, and home décor.
Founded in Sydney in October 2011, the company offers more than 200,000 products and has over a million Australian subscribers. The group now also includes private label furniture brand Milan Direct.
What turned the tables in Temple & Webster's favour?
The market for online furniture and homeware sales continues to grow as customers turn away from traditional bricks-and-mortar stores.
The company, which operates using a drop-shipping model, adopted AI technology back in 2023 to improve its online offering and presence, which clearly paid off. The company also has investments in Israeli AI startup Renovai.
Stronger market demand, digital enhancements, and a scalable asset-light E-Commerce model have positioned the business well for strong growth.
For H1 FY2025, the group posted a revenue of $314 million, up 24% versus the prior period.
In its announcement to the ASX, Temple & Webster said the growth surge was due to growth in both new and repeat customers, as well as higher average order values.
It also said that its market share reached an all-time high of 2.9% of the total Australian furniture and homewares market. As of 31 December 2024, the company also had a cash balance of $139 million, with no debt.
In May, the business released a trading update revealing that growth had accelerated further. Revenue for the period between 1 January and 5 May was up 18%.
Is the share price built to last or a flatpack flash?
According to Trading View data, 7 out of 13 analysts rate the stock as a strong buy, with a maximum 12-month target price of $28. That represents another potential 16.7% upside from the share price at the time of writing.
Morgan Stanley is currently bullish on Temple & Webster's outlook and has an outperform rating and a $28.00 price target on the ASX 200 furniture retailer's shares.
Macquarie has an outperform rating on the stock, but following the company's strong price surge this past year, it is now trading ahead of the broker's target of $17.60.
