Grab Holdings Ltd.’s shares slid 5% in morning trading after the ride-hailing leader forecast 2024 revenue below analysts’ estimates, suggesting a deeper-than-anticipated slowdown in its core online business.
The Singapore-based company, which competes with GoTo in mobility and services such as meal delivery, expects a 14% to 17% rise in sales to $2.7 billion to $2.75 billion, lagging the $2.8 billion average projection. The disappointing forecast overshadowed plans to buy back as much as $500 million of stock and its second straight quarterly profit — albeit on an adjusted basis.
After years of spending to gain market share and fend off competition, Grab is taking steps to become a more financially mature company. It’s focusing on the bottom line after years of swift expansion into markets from Malaysia to Thailand. Like backer Uber Technologies Inc., it’s slashed jobs and reined in spending to pivot toward profitability. Uber also announced its first buyback this month.
But the effort on the bottom line coincides with a dramatic slowdown in growth from the triple-digit pace of past years, underscoring the impact of economic uncertainty and competition. Revenue rose just 30% in the December quarter, its slowest pace of growth since at least 2022.
The challenging market has forced Grab and its rivals to consider aggressive options. Grab and GoTo have this year revived discussions about a merger of their core businesses, Bloomberg News reported, an alliance that could help stem spending to chase consumers across the region. Grab had also been linked to talks to take over the Foodpanda brand in several markets, but negotiations fell through because parties couldn’t agree on deal terms.
Shares of Grab are down sharply since it went public through a US blank-check company in late 2021. Still, they’ve stabilized this year as losses narrowed, outperforming its main regional rivals.
On Thursday, it reported $35 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, lagging estimates for $38.9 million. Grab also reported positive free cash flow for the December quarter, though again on an adjusted basis. The company posted its first-ever profit on that basis for the September quarter.