Uber reportedly plans IPO for early May

According to Reuters sources, people close to the matter said that Uber will issue its required public disclosure and launch its investor roadshow in April.

Uber plans to sell around $10 billion worth of stock in IPO

Reuters sources said on Tuesday, Uber has decided it will seek to sell around $10 billion (£7.7 billion) worth of stock in its initial public offering (IPO) and will make public the registration of the offering on Thursday.

Uber plans to kick off its investor roadshow during the week of 29April, according to sources.

Uber vs Lyft

Uber’s anticipated IPO is set to kick-off weeks after its rival ride-sharing company Lyft, which announced the official release of their IPO on 29 March.

Lyft debuted its initial public offering at $72 a share with a $24 billion valuation. The ridesharing app launched on Wall Street with the symbol, ‘LYFT.’

Many analysts say Lyft has gained an advantage over Uber, as the company’s IPO date was announced while Uber was still in preparations. Uber has declined to comment, despite sources claiming an April release.

Uber seeks higher than the estimated valuation

Lyft and Uber have often been neck-and-neck with their competitive offers. However, Uber’s business is much larger than Lyft’s business, and both firms filed confidential paperwork for an IPO in December, at the same time.

Uber has recently valued its company at $US76 billion ($108 billion) in the private market. It’s seeking a valuation as high as $US120 billion, however, some analysts estimated its value closer to $US100 billion based on financial figures.

Uber's revenue in 2018 was $US11.3 billion, while its gross bookings from rides were $US50 billion.

While, Lyft's 2018 revenue was $US2.2 billion, with $US8.1 billion in gross ride bookings.

Analysts have predicted that both companies could benefit from Lyft joining the public markets first. Uber could use market euphoria to its advantage, demanding a high valuation.

Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive officer of Uber, has previously said a culture change is a work in progress.

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