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Lyft

LYFT
55
Software - Application · Technology
Price
$17.47
+0.07 (+0.40%)
Market Cap
$6.63B
Exchange
NASDAQ
Winston Score
55
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Exceptional
Cash Flow
Good
Stability
Mixed
Valuation
Good

Share count rising — dilution

+24.8% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 334.7M (2021) → 417.7M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Lyft is a ride-hailing company that connects passengers with drivers through a smartphone app. Customers open the app, request a ride, and a nearby driver picks them up — similar to a taxi but booked digitally. Lyft operates primarily in the United States and Canada, making it one of the two dominant ride-hailing platforms in North America alongside Uber.

Lyft makes money by taking a percentage cut of each fare paid by riders, with drivers keeping the rest. The company also earns revenue from its bike and scooter rentals in select cities. Lyft's network effect — more riders attracting more drivers, and vice versa — gives it some competitive stickiness, but Uber holds a significantly larger market share and competes aggressively on price. The biggest challenge Lyft faces is reaching consistent profitability, as driver incentives and insurance costs remain high, and the long-term legal status of gig-worker classification could significantly raise its labor expenses.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+16.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+34.6% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Strong earnings growth

R&D Spend

$451M/ year

Rising (+14% vs prior year)

7.1% of revenue

Below sector average (15%)

R&D investment increasing — building for the future

Insider Activity

10.1%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$3.1B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Lyft is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 16%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
49.7%
Healthy — 49.7% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
2.6%
Thin — 2.6% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
-3.0%
Weak — -3.0% return on capital

Negative ROIC means the business is losing money on every dollar invested in it.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+10.8%
Steady sales growth (+10.8% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
>+1,000%
Earnings growing fast (>+1,000% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
8/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
54%
Weak — only 54% of profit becomes cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
21.2%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (21.2%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.33
Conservative — low debt load (0.33)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
N/A
Data not available

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
2.5x
Attractive valuation — P/E 2.5

P/E under 10. The price tag is small relative to last year's profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
-11.9
SLOWING
Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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