Liftoff Revenue Jumps 32% to $237.5 Million in Third Quarter
Key Facts
Liftoff reported results on November 12, 2026, for the third quarter ended September 30, posting revenue of $237.5 million, up 32% year over year and 8% quarter over quarter. The company said results came well above the high end of its previous guidance. It swung to net income of $86.7 million, compared with a loss of $5.7 million in the same quarter last year and a loss of $4.2 million in the second quarter. Diluted earnings per share were $0.47, versus a loss of $0.05 a year earlier. A report that the stock rose 15.02% in after-hours trading to $21.52, after closing at $18.71, could not be verified through a reliable open source.
The revenue comparison reflects continued expansion during the year: revenue was $179.5 million in the third quarter of 2025, rose to $219.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, and then reached $237.5 million in the third quarter. Second-quarter revenue had grown 35% year over year and 7% quarter over quarter, according to the company’s previous results. Revenue therefore continued to increase quarter over quarter, while its annual growth rate slowed compared with the prior quarter. Chief Executive Jeremy Bondy said the third quarter was the company’s twelfth consecutive quarter of revenue growth. Verified figures did not include quantitative analyst estimates measuring the revenue or earnings-per-share difference from consensus.
On adjusted operating profitability, the company reported adjusted EBITDA of $144.949 million, with a 61% margin. In the year-earlier period, this measure was $100.257 million, with a 56% margin. The company says adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and a supplemental metric that should be read alongside, and not as a replacement for or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with those principles. The margin therefore provides an additional indicator of quarterly performance, while net income and earnings per share remain reported accounting measures. The company also showed improved cash flows over the twelve months ended September 30, 2026.
Net cash from operating activities was $303.228 million in the twelve months through September 30, 2026, compared with $146.233 million in the corresponding period. Free cash flow reached $249.264 million, versus $96.587 million in the comparable prior period. Cash and cash equivalents were also $385.651 million on September 30, 2026, up from $133.306 million on December 31, 2025. These figures place liquidity and cash flows alongside revenue growth and the return to profitability in the quarterly results. For core advertising revenue, the company said it recorded $237 million, up 33% year over year and 8% quarter over quarter.
Liftoff expects fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of between $244 million and $249 million and adjusted EBITDA of between $150 million and $154 million, with a margin ranging from 61% to 62%. For fiscal 2026, the company raised its outlook to revenue of between $907 million and $912 million and adjusted EBITDA of between $547 million and $551 million, with an expected margin of 60%. The reported figures did not include a forward reconciliation of this margin to GAAP measures. Bondy said the company expects the product improvements launched in the third quarter to continue contributing as it moves through the fourth quarter. The company said it plans to stop separately disclosing core advertising revenue starting in the first quarter of 2027.