DoorDash shares drop as new investment plan unnerves investors

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(Reuters) -DoorDash shares dropped nearly 9% in premarket trading on Thursday as the company’s aggressive plan to invest several hundred million dollars more in 2026 in the face of cost pressures unnerved investors.

The San Francisco-based company also missed Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit due to rising expenses.

DoorDash has ramped up investments on partnerships – including with Domino’s Pizza, retailer Kroger and robotics firm Serve Robotics – as it broadens its last-mile delivery offerings to reach a wider customer base.

J.P.Morgan analysts said the sell-off in the shares was due to its investment plan.

“Incremental investments create near-term margin pressure,” the analysts said.

The company, whose shares have gained about 42% so far this year, said total costs and expenses for the third quarter rose about 23% to $3.19 billion a year ago.

These partnerships, however, helped the company beat quarterly revenue estimates and forecast fourth-quarter gross merchandise value above Wall Street expectations.

However, some analysts pointed that the additional investments should not come as a ‘surprise’, given the company’s history of aggressive investing and delivering returns.

“We don’t view these investments to come as a change in investment philosophy as DoorDash is taking the profit pool in its core US restaurant business and Deliveroo and re-investing in growth,” Morgan Stanley noted.

Earlier this year, DoorDash acquired British rival Deliveroo in a $3.9 billion deal.

(Reporting by Joel Jose in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)