Key Points
Aeva stock beat earnings last night -- by losing slightly less money than it was expected to.
The self-driving car stock is still probably not going to be profitable before 2030.
Aeva Technologies (NASDAQ: AEVA) stock exploded higher after barely edging out earnings forecasts in its Q2 report last night.
Analysts had expected Aeva, which builds technology to help autonomous cars operate, to lose $0.43 per share on sales of $6 million. Aeva did lose money, but only $0.41 per share, and its sales beat estimates at $6.1 million.
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Aeva Q2 earnings: by the numbers
The above numbers are only "pro forma" and "non-GAAP," of course. Losses calculated under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) looked significantly worse, with Aeva losing $1.23 per share. Still, that was an improvement over the $3.49 per share loss reported in Q2 2025.
Revenue at the start-up company grew 11% year over year.
Aeva also announced last night that its CFO Saurabh Sinha is leaving the company "to pursue a new opportunity outside of the sensing industry," a development that more nervous investors might ordinarily view as disconcerting -- but apparently not this time.
What's next for Aeva stock?
So why are investors optimistic about Aeva after another big loss and a CFO departure? That's a bit of a mystery. Sales are up, true, but not way up. Aeva's also entering a new market in "Optical Connectivity," applying its photonics technology developed for self-driving cars to the artificial intelligence market as well.
I suppose that could be positive... but betting on success in any new venture seems speculative to me. What's certain is this:
Aeva stock has lost money and burned cash every year it's been in existence, and most analysts don't expect the company to turn a profit before 2030. Viewed in this context, Aeva stock shooting up almost 40% just because it lost less money than expected and mentioned "artificial intelligence" seems like an overreaction.
Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.