By Matt Grossman

Airbnb Inc. is expected to release its second-quarter financial results on Thursday after the close of trading. Here is what to expect from the San Francisco-based online-platform for home and room rentals.

EARNINGS: Analysts polled by FactSet have forecast that Airbnb will post a second-quarter loss of 38 cents a share, or $262.4 million. That would be an improvement compared with last year's second quarter, when Airbnb's loss was $576 million. Airbnb went public in a December 2020 initial public offering.

REVENUE: Analysts are forecasting revenue of $1.26 billion. Last year, the company's second-quarter revenue was $335 million.

WHAT TO WATCH

-TRAVEL TRENDS: In the spring, the travel industry began surging back to life after the pandemic's lockdowns and fears of the virus kept many travelers home for much of last year. More recently, however, the spread of the Delta variant has fueled a resurgence of cases, leading to new questions about the strength of the travel recovery. Watch for comments from Airbnb about how bookings have fared as pandemic concerns grow again.

-MARKETING STRENGTHS: KeyBanc analysts noted last week that the vast majority of Airbnb's traffic comes directly to its website or through its app, and that the company spends much less than peers on digital advertising. That means that as revenue grows, the company's profit margin can expand more quickly than competitors', according to KeyBanc. It also insulates the company from rising ad costs. Analysts will be watching for how Airbnb's revenue--anticipated to grow significantly year over year--has trickled down to its profitability.

Write to Matt Grossman at matt.grossman@wsj.com