Popular Articles
Today Week Month Year


Uber reports surging revenue as drivers return, but posts massive loss on investments
By News Editors // May 05, 2022

Uber on Wednesday reported surging revenue during the first quarter as the ride-hailing company said it’s recovering from its coronavirus lows and wouldn’t have to put up “significant” investments to keep drivers on the platform.

Brighteon.TV

(Article by Jessica Bursztynsky republished from CNBC.com)

But it also reported a $5.9 billion loss during the period that was largely attributed to the revaluation of equity investments. The company’s shares closed down more than 4% on Wednesday.

Here are the key numbers:

  • Loss per share: 18 cents ex-items vs. a loss of 24 cents, according to a Refinitiv survey of analysts.
  • Revenue: $6.85 billion vs. $6.13 billion estimated, according to a Refinitiv survey of analysts.

For the second quarter, Uber anticipates gross bookings of between $28.5 billion and $29.5 billion. In addition, it expects adjusted EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, of between $240 million and $270 million.

Uber said it expects to generate “meaningful positive cash flows” for full-year 2022, which would mark a first for the company. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement that April mobility gross bookings exceeded 2019 levels across all regions and use cases.

The company reported a net loss of $5.9 billion for the first quarter, which it said was primarily due to its equity investments in Southeast Asian mobility and delivery company Grabautonomous vehicle company Aurora and Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi. Uber CFO Nelson Chai said in prepared remarks that the company has the liquidity to maintain its positions and wait for a better time to sell.

Its adjusted EBITDA was $168 million. That’s up $527 million from the same quarter a year ago.

Uber’s revenue rose 136% year over year to $6.9 billion.

Here’s how Uber’s largest business segments performed in the first quarter of 2022:

  • Mobility (gross bookings): $10.7 billion, up 58% year over year
  • Delivery (gross bookings): $13.9 billion, up 12% year over year

Uber was reliant on its delivery business, which includes Uber Eats, throughout the pandemic. However, mobility revenues have now surpassed delivery revenues. Its mobility segment reported $2.52 billion in revenue, compared with delivery’s $2.51 billion. Revenue strips out additional taxes, tolls and fees from gross bookings.

Uber reported 1.71 billion trips on the platform during the quarter, up 18% from the same quarter a year ago. Monthly active platform consumers reached 115 million, up 17% year over year. Drivers and couriers earned an aggregate $9 billion in the quarter, which is slightly less than the fourth quarter.

Uber said its driver base is at a post-pandemic high. The company expects that to continue without “significant incremental incentive investments,” Khosrowshahi said in prepared remarks.

“Our need to increase the number of drivers on the platform is nothing new nor is it a surprise ... there’s a lot of work ahead of us, but this is a machine that is rolling,” he later said on a conference call with investors.

Ride-hailing companies have struggled with supply and demand since the Covid-19 pandemic took drivers off the road. Uber had to rely on incentives to bring drivers back, which ate into financials.

That seemed to be stabilizing in recent months, but the war in Ukraine caused significant hikes in fuel prices. Analysts feared companies would have to pour millions into keeping drivers.

Driver incentives, along with light guidance, caused shares of rival Lyft to plunge in extended trading Tuesday. Lyft said during its analyst call it will be investing more in driver subsidies in the coming quarter, though it believes that will help “pay off in a healthier marketplace.”

Read more at: CNBC.com



Take Action:
Support NewsTarget by linking to this article from your website.
Permalink to this article:
Copy
Embed article link:
Copy
Reprinting this article:
Non-commercial use is permitted with credit to NewsTarget.com (including a clickable link).
Please contact us for more information.
Free Email Alerts
Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.

NewsTarget.com © 2022 All Rights Reserved. All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. NewsTarget.com is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. NewsTarget.com assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published on this site. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

This site uses cookies
News Target uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
Learn More
Close
Get 100% real, uncensored news delivered straight to your inbox
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your email privacy is completely protected.