Uber just reported massive losses that were larger than Wall Street expected — and the stock is sinking (UBER)

Reuters/Andrew Kelly

• Uber on Thursday reported second-quarter earnings that widely missed Wall Street expectations. 
• The ride-hailing giant lost $4.72 per share on revenues of $3.17 billion.
• A big chunk of Uber’s massive, $5.24 billion loss was due to stock-based compensation from its IPO earlier this year.
• The stock was down as much as 12% in after-hours trading.
• Uber’s stock price fell more than 10% following the report. Follow the stock in real-time here.

Uber on Thursday reported second-quarter losses that were wider than Wall Street’s expectations. The stock was down as much as 12% in after-hours trading.

Here are the important numbers: 

• Revenue: $3.17 billion
• Earnings per share (GAAP): $-4.72 versus $-3.23 expected
• Net loss: $5.24 billion, in-line with estimates
• Gross bookings: $15.76 billion (up 37% year-over-year)

Markets InsiderA major chunk of those losses, $3.9 billion, are from stock-based compensation to employees related to the company’s initial public offering in May. It’s a typical expense for companies who go public, and Uber previously warned in regulatory filings that this large expense would be occurring, so it likely isn’t a surprise for investors. 

Even with the non-cash expenses, Uber still burned through $920 million in cash during the three-month period. In the same period of 2018, the company spent $153 million. 

In other efforts to stem its cash burn, Uber recently laid off 400 marketing employees at the end of July. Those savings, which mostly affected brand marketing and weren’t limited to any one geographic area, won’t be seen until next quarter. 

Read more: Uber marketing employees describe this week’s ‘bloodbath’ when the company laid off 400 employees in more than a dozen countries in one day 

"While we will continue to invest aggressively in growth, we also want it to be healthy growth, and this quarter we made good progress in that direction," chief financial officer Nelson Chai said in a press release. 

Shares of Uber fell dramatically, as much as 12%, in after-hours trading following the earnings report. The stock has struggled to remain above its first trading price since the May IPO, but got a major boost on Thursday following Lyft’s earnings report on Wednesday afternoon. 

Lyft’s report, 24 hours ahead of Uber, handily topped Wall Street expectations. The smaller company, which operates only in North America as opposed to Uber’s global reach, raised its guidance for investors. Wall Street now thinks Lyft could reach profitability sooner than previously expected.

Gross bookings, a closely watched measure for ride-hailing investors that includes most fares and Eats receipts before paying drivers or couriers, reached $15.76 billion. That’s a 37% increase from the previous year, Uber said. 

Troy Wolverton contributed to this report. 

More Uber news: 

• Uber marketing employees describe this week’s ‘bloodbath’ when the company laid off 400 employees in more than a dozen countries this week
• Uber and Lyft drivers reveal the scariest situations they’ve ever encountered
• Read the pitch deck that Uber founder Garrett Camp created for the ride-hailing giant back in 2008 – before the company became the $120 billion giant it is today

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See Also:

• Uber is about to report its second-quarter performance. The ride-hailing giant likely lost $5 billion in 3 months.
• Lyft could turn a profit way quicker than everyone thought
• Uber and Lyft drivers reveal the scariest situations they’ve ever encountered

SEE ALSO: Uber marketing employees describe this week’s ‘bloodbath’ when the company laid off 400 employees in more than a dozen countries this week

Source: Business Insider – grapier@businessinsider.com (Graham Rapier)