Bumble stumbles on growth fears amid dating app fatigue

• Match Group, which owns its namesake Match, Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, has attracted several activist investors that are pushing it to improve margins.

By the numbers: Bumble said it now expects annual revenue growth of 1%–2%, down from 8%–11%.

• Q2 revenue was $268.6 million, missing analysts' estimates of $273 million, per Reuters.
• Its stock closed Thursday at $5.71.

What they're saying: "While [Bumble] is now operating under a leaner and more streamlined cost structure, the current strategy for returning to growth appears to be very much in flux," a BofA Global Research report said.

💭 Our thought bubble: Bumble is no longer the dating app darling that millennials gravitated to in the 2010s.

• CEO Lidiane Jones has shown a willingness to take risks, like evolving Bumble's signature feature, adding ID verification and now slowing down its monetization. But when monetization efforts speed back up, it remains to be seen who will pay.