More Money, More Problems? Snapchat's Losses Have Widened As Its Sales Have Grown

After much anticipation, Snap, the parent company of the social media platform Snapchat, filed its initial public offering (IPO) registration form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday.

Although Snap's IPO is much anticipate, it isn't being universally cheered on by the Street.

A Disappearing Act?

As noted by Statista, there are a lot of similarities between what the platform does with messages sent between users and management's handling of finances: They both disappear.

Throughout 2016 Snap lost $515 million, marking an increase from the $373 million the company lost in the prior year. On the other hand, revenue soared nearly seven-fold from 2015 to 2016 to $404 million and advertising revenue represented 96 percent of total revenue.

Granted, Snap is a young company and its business was built essentially from scratch in just a few short years. Nevertheless, Statista suggested that investors keep in mind the company's disclaimer in the business risk section of its prospectus, which reads: "We have incurred operating losses in the past, expect to incur operating losses in the future, and may never achieve or maintain profitability."

Revenue And Net Losses Per Quarter

Here is a look at Snap's revenue and net loss per quarter going back to Q1 of 2015:

• Q1, 2015: Revenue $4 million, net loss $99 million.
• Q2, 2015: Revenue $5 million, net loss $80 million.
• Q3, 2015: Revenue $17 million, net loss $97 million.
• Q4, 2015: Revenue $33 million, net loss $98 million.
• Q1, 2016: Revenue $39 million, net loss $105 million.
• Q2, 2016: Revenue 72 million, net loss $116 million.
• Q3, 2016: Revenue $128 million, net loss $124 million.
• Q4, 2016: Revenue $166 million, net loss $170 million.