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Should You Buy, Hold or Sell JOBY Stock Post Q2 Earnings?

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Key Takeaways

  • JOBY posted a wider Q2 loss and 46.4% revenue drop, missing consensus estimates.
  • Its plans include buying Blade's passenger unit for up to $125M to gain urban air routes.
  • Marina site expansion set to double capacity, targeting 24 aircraft per year for air taxi launch.

Joby Aviation (JOBY - Free Report) , a leading player in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) space, reported second-quarter 2025 results on Aug. 6, which fell short of expectations and also compared unfavorably with the prior-year quarter. The company incurred a loss that was not only wider than expected but also compared unfavorably with the year-ago loss. JOBY also witnessed a 46.4% year-over-year decline in revenues, which also fell short of the consensus mark.

A Deeper Look into Joby’s Q2 Results

JOBY reported a second-quarter 2025 loss of 24 cents per share (excluding 17 cents from non-recurring items), which was wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the year-ago loss of 18 cents per share.

Quarterly revenues were negligible and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 70%. In the year-ago quarter as well, the company did not report any revenues.

In the June-end quarter, total operating expenses increased 16% year over year due to higher research and development (up 20.7%) and selling, general, and administrative (up 0.6%) costs.

Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2024 was a loss of $131.6 million, which included employee-related costs associated with the development, certification, and manufacturing of aircraft.

JOBY exited the second quarter with cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments of $991 million compared with $932.9 million at the end of 2024. For 2025, JOBY anticipates generating cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments in the range of $500-$540 million.

The wider-than-expected loss in the June quarter meant that Joby’s unimpressive earnings track record continued. The transportation company missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate twice in the last four quarters and matched the same on the other two occasions. The average miss was 9.6%.

Looking Beyond the Loss: Recent Key Developments for JOBY

Joby aims to start carrying passengers in Dubai next year. As part of its efforts related to air taxi commercialization, Joby recently announced that it has inked a deal to buy the helicopter ride-share operator Blade Air Mobility’s (BLDE - Free Report) urban air mobility passenger business for up to $125 million. Blade sells per-seat helicopter trips from New York City to nearby airports and resort towns. Following the closure, Blade’s passenger operations will continue to be led by its founder and CEO, Rob Wiesenthal, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Joby.

The acquisition, if it goes through, would provide Joby with a ready-made market for the aircraft. Joby would have direct access to Blade’s existing urban air routes and infrastructure, particularly in NYC. The deal, upon materialization, is likely to provide Joby a head start over competitors like Archer Aviation (ACHR - Free Report) by providing market access and scale while reducing costs for new vertiports and customer acquisition.

As part of further commercialization efforts, Joby, last month, announced plans to expand operations. To this end, the transportation company announced the expansion of its site in Marina, CA, which will double its aircraft production capacity at that location. The expanded site will span 435,500 square feet, helping the company to scale up its commercial operations. Once operational, Joby expects the Marina site to be able to produce up to 24 aircraft per year as it races to launch air taxis.

Driven by its commercialization-related efforts, JOBY shares have performed exceedingly well lately, gaining 31.8% in the past 30 days, outperforming the Zacks Transportation-Airline industry and competitor Archer Aviation.

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

Challenges That Cannot Be Ignored                                         

Joby Aviation is unlikely to be profitable any time soon, as commercial operations are yet to start. The company’s negative return on equity further highlights its lack of profitability.

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

In its path toward commercialization, JOBY is unlikely to escape turbulence as it navigates regulatory approvals, infrastructure development and adoption by consumers. In the absence of commercialization, there is no real demand for urban air mobility at present.

Only time will tell how the market and customer demand for eVTOLs will turn out to be. Public acceptance of eVTOLs as an alternative to traditional transport methods could face hurdles related to safety, noise and affordability concerns. Without widespread recognition, JOBY's growth potential may be constrained. Additionally, the risk of battery failure due to high voltage and thermal issues is highly likely for eVTOL aircraft.

JOBY Shares Trading at a Premium

JOBY stock is not so cheap, as its Value Score of F suggests a stretched valuation at this moment.

In terms of price-to-book value, JOBY is trading at 14.67X, higher than its industry and peer Archer Aviation. Like Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation also has a Value Score of F.

JOBY’s P/B TTM Vs. Industry & ACHR

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

What Should Investors Do With JOBY Stock?

Agreed that JOBY's electric air taxi offers a promising solution for urban air mobility, addressing the growing demand for sustainable transportation alternatives. However, challenges remain in terms of scalability and public acceptance.

With commercialization still some distance away, it's anybody’s guess how market demand for eVTOL eventually shapes up. Also, JOBY’s stretched valuation makes it a risky bet currently. We believe investors should steer clear of this stock, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here
 


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