Uber issues weaker-than-expected bookings, earnings forecasts for third quarter

Uber issued a forecast for bookings and earnings that trailed analysts’ estimates, while second-quarter profit was in line with expectations. Shares sank about 4% on Wednesday following the print.

Here’s how the company did versus analysts’ estimates compiled by LSEG:

• Earnings per share: 81 cents vs. 81 cents expected
• Revenue: $14.19 billion vs. $14.24 billion expected

Revenue increased 12% from $12.65 billion a year earlier. Net income climbed to $2.39 billion, or $1.17 a share, from $1.35 billion, or 63 cents a share, a year ago.

Uber’s core mobility service accounted for $7.36 billion of second-quarter sales, while delivery revenue reached $5.25 billion. Mobility gross bookings rose 22% from a year to $28.99 billion, and delivery bookings jumped 26% $27.46 billion. Total bookings of $58 billion topped the $57.23 billion average analyst estimate, according to StreetAccount.

For the third quarter, Uber sees bookings of $59.25 billion at the middle of its range. That trails the average StreetAccount estimate of $59.33 billion. And the company’s EPS forecast of 84 cents to 88 cents fell below the 89-cent average analyst estimate, according to LSEG.

Uber shares are down 12% this year as of Tuesday’s close, while the Nasdaq is up 14% over that stretch.

Uber is pushing further into deliveries, and last month announced a $14.8 billion agreement to acquire Germany’s Delivery Hero. That deal will increase the number of markets where Uber can deliver food and groceries.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in prepared remarks ahead of the earnings call that the World Cup was a boon for the ride-hail business in the quarter. More than 8 million tourists took rides across host cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico

Uber is also continuing to make big bets on autonomous vehicles.

The company said it expects to commit more than $10 billion in coming years to “bring AVs to market at scale.” Uber, which has been inking partnerships with robotaxi providers, doesn’t break out the share of rides or deliveries that have drivers and those that don’t.

“As the industry shifts from proving the technology to commercializing it at scale,” Uber is building “one of the most valuable positions in the AV ecosystem,” Khosrowshahi said.

However, early robotaxi partner Waymo appears to be pulling away. The companies recently said they would be ending an exclusive agreement in Atlanta and Austin, Texas, by early 2028.

Uber also announced on Wednesday that it has cleared another hurdle in offering autonomous rides in London with UK robotaxi company Wayve. Transport for London has granted Private Hire Vehicle licenses to Wayve, which plans to operate its vehicles with a safety driver on board in London starting early this summer. Uber said more than 100,000 people have signed up to be the first riders.

Analysts asked Uber executives to discuss their strategy around autonomous vehicles during Wednesday’s conference call, and to discuss the changing relationship with Waymo, specifically.

Khosrowshahi praised Waymo for its “impressive” product, and said Uber did not want to become too dependent on a single autonomous vehicle partner.

In markets where robotaxi rides are widely available outside of the Uber platform, Khosrowshahi said, Uber’s mobility business remains “really strong.” Trip growth, specifically in San Francisco, L.A. and Phoenix, which are all markets where Waymo has been operating for years, had accelerated versus the first quarter, he said.

Barclay’s senior research analyst Ross Sandler asked execs to describe what Uber’s AV Lab is doing that “complements” the work of its partners.

Khosrowshahi said the lab is trying to “help accelerate the development and training” of autonomous vehicles to make them safe for use in ride-hailing specifically. The lab is able to collect a “superset” of data from cars that are operating in ride-hailing scenarios, and then bring that to the broader industry for training their own systems.