DoorDash shares jump as delivery demand fuels growth forecast

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Food transportation steadfast DoorDash's shares surged astir 11% premarket connected Thursday pursuing a beardown forecast for first-quarter marketplace gross bid ‌value, betting connected dependable request and assertive enlargement crossed businesses.

Demand for ‌online market and nutrient transportation is rising arsenic budget-conscious shoppers prioritize convenience, adjacent for essentials, a ​trend DoorDash has capitalized connected with dependable gains successful caller quarters.

Its fourth-quarter full orders were up 32%, aft rising 19% a twelvemonth ago.

"Beyond restaurants, the US market and retail categories showed strength, with DASH attracting much caller consumers successful 4Q25 than ‌in immoderate anterior 4th ⁠and driving improved archetypal engagement among newer cohorts," RBC Capital Markets analysts said successful a note.

DoorDash present expects marketplace GOV, oregon ⁠the full dollar worth of orders placed done its platform, to beryllium betwixt $31 cardinal and $31.8 cardinal successful the existent quarter, beating estimates of $29.61 billion, according to information compiled ​by ​LSEG.

Fierce contention successful the online food-delivery marketplace ​is pushing firms specified arsenic DoorDash, ‌Instacart and UberEats to measurement up partnerships and promotions to seizure much marketplace share.

DoorDash besides said it plans to rebuild its tech strategy successful 2026 to bring brands specified arsenic DoorDash, Wolt and Deliveroo onto a azygous platform, supported by respective 100 cardinal dollars of concern successful caller products and exertion spending.

These ‌investments, however, are expected to measurement connected its ​profitability, with the first-quarter adjusted EBITDA people betwixt $675 ​million to $775 cardinal falling abbreviated ​of the $798.22 cardinal estimates.

"DASH has a agelong runway for growth; ‌reinvestment is successful the company's DNA, ​and this is not ​the past clip we volition extremity up debating an concern rhythm — but determination is merit to the strategy," said Nikhil Devnani, expert with Bernstein.

DoorDash's ​forward price-to-earnings ratio for ‌the adjacent 12 months, a communal benchmark for valuing stocks, was ​50.87, compared with Instacart's 14.66 and Uber's 20.75.

(Reporting by Anuja Bharat ​Mistry successful Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)