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Uber Shares Drop 8% as Legal Costs Undercut Profit and Holiday Outlook Disappoints

Uber’s shares fell 8% on Tuesday after the company reported weaker-than-expected operating profit and issued a cautious outlook for the upcoming holiday quarter. The setback overshadowed otherwise strong growth in both its rides and delivery businesses, which continue to benefit from rising demand and its Uber One membership program.

The ride-hailing giant posted an operating income of $1.11 billion for the third quarter, below analyst expectations of $1.61 billion, according to Visible Alpha. Uber attributed the shortfall to legal and regulatory expenses but did not disclose details. Its guidance for adjusted profit in the fourth quarter — between $2.41 billion and $2.51 billion — also fell short of Wall Street’s projections.

Despite the profit miss, revenue rose 20% year-over-year to $13.47 billion, surpassing analyst estimates of $13.28 billion. Gross bookings climbed to $49.74 billion, beating expectations, driven by a 29% jump in delivery sales and a 20% rise in mobility revenue.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the Uber One program continues to boost customer engagement, noting that users who use both rides and delivery services spend three times more than single-service customers. However, only about 20% of users currently utilize both, leaving significant room for growth.

The earnings disappointment comes despite Uber’s strong year-to-date performance, with its stock up more than 60% before Tuesday’s drop. Investors, however, remain focused on whether the company can sustain profitability while managing mounting legal challenges and regulatory scrutiny.

Sony Raises Full-Year Profit Forecast, Cites Lower Tariff Impact and Strong Gaming Performance

Sony has increased its full-year operating profit forecast by 4% to 1.33 trillion yen ($9.01 billion), driven by a smaller-than-expected impact from U.S. tariffs and strong sales in its gaming division.

The company now anticipates tariffs will reduce profits by 70 billion yen, down from the 100 billion yen estimated in May. CFO Lin Tao noted that tariff rates remain fluid, especially regarding product-specific duties, and expects further uncertainty and potential tariff impacts in the second half of the fiscal year.

Sony’s gaming segment showed significant strength, with operating profit more than doubling to 148 billion yen in the April-June quarter. The rise was fueled by increased sales of network services and third-party games. The company sold 2.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles in the quarter, marking a 4% year-on-year increase. New game releases like “Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” received positive reviews, while “Ghost of Yotei” is scheduled for October.

Shares rose 4% following the earnings announcement, contributing to a roughly 15% gain in Sony’s stock year-to-date. Analysts observe Sony’s growing dominance in high-fidelity gaming, competing more directly with PC gaming than Xbox.

Sony also announced plans to reduce its stake in its financial services unit to below 20%, with a partial spin-off and Tokyo listing scheduled for September 29.

Nintendo Lowers Switch Sales Forecast Ahead of New Console Launch

Nintendo (7974.T) has reduced its full-year sales forecast for the Switch console by 12%, now projecting only 11 million units sold as the device faces waning momentum ahead of the release of its successor later this year. Despite the decline, Nintendo remains focused on its console business, alongside its ventures into physical stores and expanding its brand with theme parks and films.

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that while hardware and software sales remained solid for the eighth consecutive year, the company failed to meet its initial sales goals. For the period from April to December, Nintendo sold 9.54 million Switch units, bringing total sales to 150.86 million units.

The company previously announced plans to launch a successor to the popular Switch in 2025, with the unveiling scheduled for an upcoming Nintendo Direct event on April 2. The new device is expected to retain the hybrid design of its predecessor, which significantly revived Nintendo’s fortunes after the underperformance of the Wii U console.

As a result of the forecasted slowdown, Nintendo has lowered its operating profit estimate by 22.2%, bringing the expected figure to 280 billion yen ($1.8 billion) for the financial year ending in March. For the April-December period, the company saw a sharp 46.7% drop in profit, totaling 247.6 billion yen.