Coursera Inc. (COUR) shares plummeted by around 6% in pre-market trading on Thursday following the release of the online learning platform's fourth quarter 2024 financial results. The selloff reflects investor disappointment over a wider-than-expected net loss reported for the quarter, as well as the company's bleak outlook for negative profit growth in the coming years.

For the fourth quarter, Coursera posted a net loss of $21.6 million or 14 cents per share, missing analyst estimates of a profit of $7.15 million. While quarterly revenue came in at $179.2 million, topping expectations of $176.6 million, higher expenses weighed heavily on profitability. Coursera's operating expenses for the quarter surged to $126 million.

Looking ahead, the company expects revenue in the range of $173-177 million for the first quarter of 2025, disappointing analysts. However, more concerning was Coursera's outlook for an "extremely negative double-digit change in profit" expected over the next couple of years. The negative growth prospects raised uncertainty and likely contributed significantly to the stock's sharp pre-market plunge on Thursday.