Uber Stock (UBER)

Uber began as a San Francisco startup but quickly became the biggest IPO in years. It is a car-for-hire service that uses smartphone technology to connect Uber drivers and riders. Its smartphone app takes care of everything – from hailing a ride to payment.

A Brief History of Uber Stock

In December 2008, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp could not get a cab in Paris. The idea of Uber was born. Three months later, in March of 2009, they built the first version of their idea called “UberCab.”

UberCab allowed users to tap a button on their smartphone app and get a ride. At first, the cost was more expensive than a cab, but San Francisco techies preferred the simplicity of ordering a car through the push of a button.

UberCab shortens its name to Uber in order to further differentiate itself from the taxicab industry. Afterward, Uber goes international, expands across the United States and continues to accumulate funding.

In 2011, Uber secured $11 million Series A funding and $32 million Series B funding. Two years later, Uber closed a humongous $258 million investment Series C funding, which increased Uber’s valuation to $3.76 billion.

Uber went public on the New York Stock Exchange NYSE in May 2019. Uber IPO prices started at $45 a share. However, Uber share prices fell to $41.57 by the end of the day, leaving a cumulative loss of $655 million.

Uber Stock Risks and Analyst Concerns

There is no argument that Uber is a tech giant that dominates the ridesharing industry. However, Uber stock poses a number of red flags that have analysts concerned.

Despite the billions of dollars in investments over the years, Uber’s IPO has been less than impressive. They began trading under challenging market conditions, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 300 points. Ultimately, Uber ended its first day on the public exchange down more than 7%.

Uber’s IPO in May 2019 also came after Lyft’s debut in March 2019. They received more scrutiny from the SEC than Lyft during the IPO process, drawing attention to their adjusted financial numbers.

Uber also faces its fair share of legal battles. Its ridesharing business model was called into question in June 2015, when the California Labor Commission ruled that an Uber driver is an employee. Such rulings may mean more expensive trips for consumers and affect Uber’s bottom line.

Fortunately for Uber, The U.S. National Labor Relations Board rules that Uber drivers are independent contracts, not employees in May 2019. Unfortunately, this may not be the end of this debate.

In recent years, Uber has also been confronted with scandals and controversies, including sexual harassment, a data breach as well as a #DeleteUber campaign. 2017 was a tumultuous year for Uber as a reorganization of leadership, which included replacing Uber’s CEO.

Analysts continue to hold an uncertain view of Uber as investors question profitability. Many investors are weathering the storm as autonomous cars are gearing up to hit the roads, potentially solving the issue of human labor. Of course, this could also result in higher insurance costs and potential lawsuits.

Nonetheless, for now, Uber is a household name with impressive statistics of 17 million trips per day in 65 countries.