Uber looks to raise up to $9B in its IPO

NEW YORK — Ridesharing giant Uber is aiming to raise $9 billion in its mammoth initial public stock offering that, while smaller than initially expected, still dwarfs most stock market debuts.

The San Franciscobased company expects to be valued at $80.5 billion to $91.5 billion, falling well below prior estimates that rose as high as $120 billion, in a sign that investors may be taking a more cautious approach to ride-sharing after the stock performance of Uber’s rival, Lyft.

Even so, Uber is on track for one of the larger IPOs in history. The company plans to sell 180 million shares for $44 to $50 each.

Lyft went public last month and its stock price fell 21% from its initial offering price of $72, and closed at $57.24 Friday.

“With Lyft’s IPO being down more than 20% in a market that’s hitting new highs every day, that’s a dynamic that probably has been factored in as well,” said Daniel Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities.

Uber is part of a wave of technology companies that are going public, and Pinterest and Zoom both saw their stock prices climb substantially after their IPOs this month. Slack and Postmates are also waiting for their turn.

Over the coming weeks Uber is likely to revise those figures as it launches its so-called road show, where it pitches the company and gets feedback from potential investors. It is expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange next month.

Uber also disclosed that PayPal plans to buy $500 million in stock at the IPO price, and that the companies will explore future commercial payment collaborations, including the development of Uber’s digital wallet.

Uber gave potential investors a first look at its finances this month, revealing nearly $8 billion in losses over a decade. That mirrors Lyft’s challenges.

But Uber also showed impressive growth. Its revenue totaled $11.3 billion in 2018, which was a 42% increase from $7.9 billion in 2017, and far above its $495 million in revenue in 2014.

That rapid growth has continued this year. On a preliminary basis, revenue rose to a range of $3 billion to $3.1 billion during the three months that ended March 31, compared with $2.6 billion a year ago.

However, the company estimated losses of $1 billion to $1.1 billion for the first quarter. Uber chalks them up to operational expenses as the company continues to invest in its core platform, including spending on incentives and promotions.

Both Uber and Lyft face an uncertain path to profitability as they deal with intense competition, high costs to pay drivers, increased regulation by cites and a long, uncertain road to the development of autonomous vehicles.