Earnings Results: Unity Software shares slide 6% on earnings miss

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Unity Software Inc.’s stock slipped more than 6% in after-hours trading Thursday after the maker of video-gaming software reported a widening loss in its fiscal third-quarter results.

Unity U, -3.63%, which went public in September, reported a net loss of $144.7 million, or 97 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $45.8 million, or 76 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter.

Revenue soared 53% to $200.8 million from $130.9 million a year ago.

“We are very pleased to start our public-company journey with such a strong quarter,” Unity Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Jabal said in a statement.

The San Francisco-based company did report better-than-expected revenue, and offered full-year guidance of between $752 million and $756 million, implying a year-over-year gain of 39% to 40%.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected a loss of 15 cents a share on revenue of $186.9 million.

The results were the first for Unity, whose unique public offering in late September, sidestepped the typical lockdown period for most employees. Developed with input from underwriter Credit Suisse and consultant Lise Buyer, the plan allowed workers to sell as much 15% of shares on the first day of trading, when they typically would have to wait months to sell.

The company’s product is similar to the Unreal Engine from Epic Games Inc., whose legal imbroglio with Apple Inc. AAPL, -0.23% and Alphabet’s GOOGL, -0.25% GOOG, -0.16% Google has raised the profile of Unity. Unity filed its S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 24, shortly after Epic was booted from both app stores for disputing the 30% cut those tech giants get from carrying games like “Fortnite.” In its S-1, Unity said it believes it addresses a total market of about $29 billion “across both gaming and other industries.”

Read more: Exclusive: Behind the scenes of Unity’s unique IPO in the middle of a pandemic

Unity’s stock has nearly doubled since its Sept. 18 debut at $52 a share. The broader S&P 500 index SPX, -0.99% has climbed 9.5% in 2020.