Twitter Inc. lost active users in its last quarter but still managed to book an improved profit as the microblogging platform continues to plow forward post an ongoing purge of alleged Russian bots.

Twitter booked a profit of $163 million in the third quarter, more than double the $78 million in the same quarter of 2017. Before certain costs such as stock compensation, that came out to 21 cents a share. Revenue of $758 million beat expectations by analysts of $702.6 million.

The numbers weren’t as favorable when it came to users. Twitter said its monthly active users came in at 326 million in the quarter, below market expectations and 1 percent less than the same quarter last year. Twitter blamed its reduced active user numbers on its purge of accounts, most recently deleting so-called NPC or nonplayable character meme accounts, commonly called bots, on the basis that they might influence the U.S. midterm elections.

“We’re achieving meaningful progress in our efforts to make Twitter a healthier and valuable everyday service,” Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey said in a statement. “We’re doing a better job detecting and removing spammy and suspicious accounts at sign-up. We’re also continuing to introduce improvements that make it easier for people to follow events, topics and interests on Twitter, like adding support for U.S. TV shows in our new event infrastructure. This quarter’s strong results prove we can prioritize the long-term health of Twitter while growing the number of people who participate in public conversation.”

Twitter lost 9 MILLION users last quarter — way more than ever pic.twitter.com/RaBwviLDEW

— Rani Molla (@ranimolla) October 25, 2018

Moving forward, Twitter predicted, its active user numbers will continue to decline as a result of ongoing efforts to “eliminate spam and bots, remove those who violate the platform’s rules and adhere to the new GDPR regulations.”

Still, the issue of user growth remains a concern for investors. “Getting new users over the long term is going to be key for TWTR’s long-term success, Ben Schachter, an analyst with Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. wrote in a note to clients. “We simply want to see more proof that new consumers will come to TWTR and drive growth before we recommend the stock.”

The solid profit saw Twitter surge on the New York Stock Exchange, with its share price closing the day up more than 15 percent, to $31.80, its highest price since early September.

Image: Public Domain Pictures