March 12 - Bumble shares surged 25% in premarket trading on Thursday, as stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results and an AI-focused overhaul of its dating app aimed at winning back younger users reignited investor optimism.

CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd's push for AI-driven product revamp comes as Bumble attempts a closely watched turnaround in an online dating industry grappling with slower growth and "swiping fatigue" among younger users.

The company said it was gearing up to introduce Bumble 2.0, a revamped version of the app that adds a chapter-based profile layout to provide more depth beyond the traditional swipe interface, and CEO Herd noted Bumble could experiment with a no-swipe experience in some markets while maintaining the swipe feature in others.

"Bumble still has a long road ahead to get back to sustainable revenue growth, but we no longer think an 'underweight' rating is appropriate with leading indicators stabilizing, a potential catalyst in the Bumble 2.0 launch in 2Q," J.P. Morgan analysts said, while upgrading the stock to "neutral".

With AI-powered tools rolling out to improve match quality and user engagement, Bumble joins Match Group's ( MTCH ) Tinder and Hinge in accelerating innovation to address shifting preferences.

"Bumble worked through its shrink to grow phase quicker than we expected, with the focus now shifting to product innovation where the 2H roadmap includes an AI dating assistant (Bee) and chapter-based profiles (de-emphasizing the swipe)," J.P. Morgan analysts said. 

Bumble reported Q4 revenue of $224.2 million, topping analysts' estimates of $221.3 million, while average revenue per paying user jumped 7.9% to $22.20.

The Austin, Texas-based company's shares have fallen more than 20% so far this year. The stock trades at 3.55 times its projected earnings for the next 12 months, compared with 11.05 times for Match Group ( MTCH ).

(Reporting by Akriti Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)