Hello Group Turns To AI To Boost Slumping Revenue

Core Viewpoint - Hello Group Inc. (formerly Momo) is attempting to reverse a five-year revenue decline by introducing AI-backed features in its dating app, but recent financial results indicate continued revenue challenges [2][5][17] Financial Performance - The company's revenue fell 2.6% year-on-year in the second quarter to 2.62 billion yuan ($368 million), down from 2.69 billion yuan a year earlier [5][7] - In the first quarter, revenue had only declined by 1.5%, suggesting a potential for recovery that has not materialized [5] - For the third quarter, Hello Group forecasts revenue between 2.59 billion yuan and 2.69 billion yuan, indicating a possible decline of 3.2% at the low end and a slight increase of 0.6% at the high end [6] - The company reported its first net loss in over three years, amounting to 139 million yuan, primarily due to one-time tax expenses [8][15] User Engagement and Features - The newly introduced AI greeting feature aims to assist male users in crafting personalized messages for potential dates, which is expected to enhance user engagement [3][4] - The AI chat assistant feature is designed to improve ongoing conversations, potentially increasing retention rates among users [4] - Despite these innovations, the company has not yet seen a halt in revenue decline, contrasting with other consumer-facing companies in China that have stabilized [4][17] User Metrics - Paid users for the Momo app decreased by approximately 15% sequentially to 3.5 million in the second quarter, while Tantan's paid users fell by about 10% to 740,000 [13] - The value-added services for the Momo app experienced an 11% year-on-year decline, dropping to 1.85 billion yuan, which constitutes about 70% of total revenue [12] International Business - Hello Group's international business saw a significant revenue increase of 73% year-on-year in the second quarter, contributing 17% to total revenue, up from 9.5% a year earlier [14] - However, growth in the international segment is expected to slow to the mid-60% range in the third quarter as the company adopts a more conservative expansion strategy [14] Market Sentiment - Following the release of the latest financial report, Hello Group's stock fell by 7.3%, erasing most of its gains for the year, although it remains up 17% over the past 52 weeks [9] - Analysts are mixed on the company's outlook, with six out of eight still rating it a "buy," while the stock trades at a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 11 compared to global peers [16]