Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT)’s second-quarter results were strong in several areas, but they also showed why investors should not look at the company’s growth numbers in isolation. Gross bookings reached a record $5.50 billion, increasing 23% from a year earlier. Revenue rose 16% to $1.84 billion and came in above expectations. Those are good numbers. But Lyft is also spending considerably more to keep that growth going. That is where the story gets a little more complicated.
The Bull Case: Lyft Keeps Adding Riders
The strongest part of the quarter was rider growth. Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) had 30.5 million active riders, up 17% year over year. It was the seventh consecutive quarter in which the company posted double-digit rider growth. Total rides also increased, reaching 262.4 million.
For a rideshare company, that kind of growth matters. A larger rider base can create a stronger marketplace and give Lyft more opportunities to increase revenue over time. Lyft is also becoming more than just a North American rideshare business. Freenow gives it a presence in Europe, while Lyft Urban Solutions adds another part to the business. Partnerships with DoorDash, United Airlines, and public transit systems are helping bring more people into the Lyft ecosystem.
There is another encouraging detail in the numbers. Lyft’s implied take rate remained around 33.5%. In simple terms, the company is still keeping a similar share of each dollar spent on its platform. That suggests the increase in bookings is not simply the result of giving riders deep discounts.
The autonomous vehicle opportunity could also become important over the longer term. Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) is not trying to build its own self-driving technology from scratch. Instead, it is focusing on the operational side of autonomous fleets. Its work with Waymo in Nashville and the expansion of AV depots could allow Lyft to benefit from robotaxis without having to make the kind of massive technology investments required to develop the vehicles itself.
The Bear Case: Lyft Is Spending a Lot More to Grow
The biggest concern in the quarter was marketing spending. Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT)’s sales and marketing expenses jumped about 68% to $320 million. The company spent more on rider incentives, loyalty programs, and customer acquisition as it fought to keep growing. That is a big increase. It also makes the company’s profitability worth watching more closely. GAAP net income rose to $50.3 million, but it still missed consensus expectations.
The question investors need to ask is fairly simple: how much of Lyft’s growth is happening naturally, and how much is being helped along by promotions?
That will become even more important as some of the temporary boosts from the quarter disappear. The FIFA World Cup helped drive more airport trips and rides during busy periods. Those benefits are useful, but they are not something investors can assume will show up every quarter.
Management still expects gross bookings to grow, although the pace is expected to moderate. If growth slows while marketing expenses remain elevated, that could put more pressure on margins.
The Bottom Line for Investors
There are clear signs that Lyft’s business is improving. Adjusted EBITDA increased 37% year over year to $177.2 million. The Adjusted EBITDA margin also improved to 3.2%, compared with 2.9% a year earlier. That is encouraging because it shows Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) is getting some operating leverage even while spending more to attract riders.
At this point, though, the next part of the story is less about how quickly Lyft can grow and more about how efficiently it can grow. The company now has 30.5 million active riders. If Lyft can keep those users engaged without having to spend heavily on incentives, its profit margins could improve considerably.
That is what investors should be watching most closely. The current growth numbers are strong enough to support a moderately bullish view, but the stock still needs to prove that higher bookings can lead to stronger and more consistent profits.
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