Uber beats Q4 2020 earnings expectations but misses on $3.17 billion in revenue amid slow pandemic recovery

• Uber on Wednesday reported $3.17 billion in Q4 revenue, missing expectations of $3.58 billion.
• Uber reported GAAP losses per share of $0.54, beating analyst expectations of $0.55.
• Uber's valuation doubled in 2020 despite the pandemic and the company's inability to turn a profit.

Uber on Wednesday reported it had beat Wall Street's expectations on earnings but missed on revenue expectations, while posting its eleventh consecutive unprofitable quarter.

The company generated $3.17 billion in revenue in Q4 2020, down 16% year-on-year.

The company's core ride-hailing business has been hit hard during the pandemic, while its food-delivery arm, Uber Eats, has thrived, bringing in more revenue than rides for the third straight quarter.

After lagging behind the market for most of 2020, Uber's stock has soared in recent months after its Q3 earnings suggested the company may be bouncing back.

Here are the key numbers, as well as what Wall Street was expecting. Estimates are based on Yahoo Finance consensus data.

• Revenue (GAAP): $3.17 billion, down 16% year-on-year ($3.58 billion expected)
• Net loss (GAAP): $968 million
• Loss Per Share (GAAP): $0.54 ($0.55 expected)
• Mobility gross bookings: $6.79 billion, down 50% year-on-year
• Delivery gross bookings: $10.1 billion, up 130% year-on-year
• Monthly active platform customers (MAPCs): 93 million, down 16% year-on-year
• Trips: 144.3 million, down 24% year-on-year

Ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft saw earnings plummet in 2020 as COVID-19 lockdowns curbed travel for most of the year.

After reporting revenue $4.07 billion in GAAP revenues for $4, Uber's revenue declined to $3.54 billion in $4 and $2.24 billion in $4. But thanks to Uber Eats softening the blow and rides recovering a bit, Uber bounced back with revenues of $3.13 billion in $4.

Still, Uber faces a tough road ahead as $4, Millennials and Gen Z $4, and more $4.

As Uber continues to search for a route to profitability, it dodged a major roadblock in November by persuading California voters to pass Proposition 22, a law Uber helped author that exempts it from complying with the state's labor laws, allowing it to classify drivers as contractors.

Experts have previously told Insider being able to rely on contract workers may $4 by as much as 30%. But the company has received growing backlash from drivers, many of whom $4 for rideshare and food delivery companies, over shrinking wages, a lack of benefits, and an inability to address concerns with Uber.

The classification issue likely won't go away anytime soon, as the Biden administration has signaled it wants to make $4.

Investors will also be looking closely at how Uber's string of major acquisitions have impacted its business. Uber acquired delivery rival $4 before $4 last month, and bought alcohol delivery startup $4 last week.

Uber also trimmed down last year, selling off some of its most unprofitable units: $4, Uber's autonomous vehicle unit; $4 in return for an investment from Uber; and Uber offloaded its $4, to Lime.