Uber posts Q3 net loss of $1.2bn

California-based company's revenue in the three-month period soared 72% on an annualised basis to $8.3bn

Uber's adjusted income surged to $516 million before interest, tax and other expenses in the third quarter. AP

Ride-hailing company Uber reported a net loss in the third quarter, driven by unrealised losses related to the revaluations of Uber’s equity investments.

The California-based company’s net loss reached $1.2 billion, from $2.4bn loss in the same period last year. It included a $512 million net headwind primarily due to unrealised losses related to the revaluations of Uber’s equity investments and $482m in stock-based compensation expense, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Uber’s revenue in the quarter soared 72 per cent on an annualised basis to $8.3bn, surpassing the analysts' estimate of $8.1bn.

The company's adjusted income surged to $516m before interest, tax and other expenses in the three-month period, as it registered a jump in gross bookings in the July-September period.

“Our global scale and unique platform advantages are working together to drive more profitable growth,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive.

“Even as the macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, Uber’s core business is stronger than ever.”

Following the earnings announcements, Uber's stocks surged more than 12.8 per cent to $30 a share. The share price has dropped more than 32 per cent in the past 12 months.

Uber's gross bookings surged 26 per cent year-on-year to $29.1bn in the third quarter, while delivery gross bookings increased 7 per cent during the period to $13.7bn, and mobility bookings surged 38 per cent to $13.7bn.

Uber said its delivery business demonstrated “stable consumer, merchant and courier metrics” as Covid-19 restrictions continued to ease around the world.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Revenue in the US and Canada jumped nearly 89 per cent yearly to nearly $5bn in the past quarter. It grew 33 per cent in Latin America to $518m and 77 per cent in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to more than $1.8bn.

Revenue also increased by about 27 per cent to $947m in the Asia-Pacific region.

The company said the unrestricted cash and cash equivalents were $4.9bn as of September 30. Free cash flow, defined as net cash flows from operating activities less capital expenditures, soared to $358m.

“Strong demand for our offerings, better marketplace efficiency, and our asset-light platform helped to deliver adjusted EBITDA well above our guidance, even as foreign exchange and inflationary headwinds impact all global businesses,” said Nelson Chai, Uber’s chief financial officer.

“We remain focused on excellent execution and disciplined cost management to deliver on our growth and profitability commitments for the coming years.”

Trips on Uber’s platform grew 19 per cent on an annual basis and 4 per cent quarterly to 1.95 billion in the third quarter, or approximately 21 million trips per day on average.

The monthly active platform consumers reached 124 million, up 14 per cent annually.

In September, Uber also announced a partnership with electric vehicle provider Moove last month, bringing 10,000 EVs to London by 2025.

It also joined forces with Splend in Australia, bringing 500 premium EVs to driver partners in the country to own, with the majority delivered before year end and the remainder arriving in early 2023.

Uber also announced a partnership with Motional to deploy autonomous vehicles on the Uber network across ride-hail and delivery. This 10-year, multi-market agreement is expected to create one of the largest deployments of AVs on a major ride-hail network and will support Uber’s zero-emissions goal.

It also entered into a 10-year agreement with Nuro, a leading AV company, for autonomous deliveries in Mountain View, California and Houston, Texas starting this year.