Lyft plunges 18% after disappointing 3rd-quarter earnings suggest Uber is taking share from the ride-hailing company
- Lyft plunged 18% after its third-quarter earnings report missed investor expectations on revenue and ridership.
- The weakness suggested that Uber is taking market share away from the ride hailing company.
- "We believe Uber has done a much better job at rebuilding driver supply, likely leaving Lyft with a structurally smaller share of the market than it had pre-pandemic."
Shares of Lyft plunged 18% on Tuesday after the company's third-quarter earnings report missed investor expectations on revenue and ridership.
The weak results came on the heels of a solid earnings report from Uber last week, suggesting that Lyft is losing market share to its larger rival.
Here were the key numbers of Lyft's earnings report:
Revenue: $1.05 billion versus estimates of $1.06 billion
Adjusted EBITDA: $66.2 million, versus estimates of $62.1 million
Total Active Riders: 20.3 million, versus estimates of 21.2 million
While Lyft saw a decline in total active riders, Uber saw a more than 20% surge in active riders last quarter, bolstering the idea that Uber is taking share from Lyft.
"We believe Uber has done a much better job at rebuilding driver supply, likely leaving Lyft with a structurally smaller share of the market than it had pre-pandemic," Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell said.
Tuesday's decline sent shares of Lyft within reach of testing its all-time low of $10.83. The stock traded at $11.68 in early Tuesday trades.
According to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, Lyft could still see upside as consumers return to travel and head back into the office in a post-pandemic period. He maintained an "Outperform" rating on Lyft but lowered his price target to $17 from $25.
"We believe that this is a short-term headwind and the company will continue to grow its profit margins throughout FY23. In a nutshell, we believe while this was a modestly disappointing quarter for Lyft, we believe as consumers continue to return to travel, shifting to the office, and other post-pandemic trends take hold Lyft will continue to capture market share in North America heading into 2023," Ives said.