We have some more insider news on arguably the most anticipated tech IPO in history. According to an exclusive report published by Reuters today, Uber is eyeing $10Bn from the market in its upcoming IPO. The information could be made public coming Thursday, adds the report.
Looking at the sheer ask that Uber plans to command from the market, this IPO — if it sails through — would be one of the biggest technology IPOs of all time. It will also hold the tag of being the largest since that of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd in 2014. And just to tell you how IPOs have ballooned over the past half a decade, Alibaba’s IPO was even bigger than that of Facebook and Visa.
Uber is seeking a humongous $90-$100 billion in valuation. It is still unsure as to how Wall street treats that steep valuation for a company which has been reporting massive losses ever since inception. Uber itself has brought the valuation down from the $120 Billion that investment banks reportedly suggested to the company. That has been influenced by the below par performance of its biggest rival in the US — Lyft. More so, the global economic and financial climate isn’t the best as well, which could make it difficult for Uber to command that valuation.
Further according to Reuters’ report, most of the shares sold would be issued by the company, while a smaller portion would be owned by Uber investors cashing out. The ride-hailing behemoth also plans to make its IPO registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission publicly available on Thursday. The company will then kick of its investor roadshow during the week of April 29, putting it on track to price its IPO and begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange in early May, the sources said.
However, the road to raising such vast amount of money is going to be a tough one for Uber. For one, Lyft’s shares have been performing poorly after its $2.34 Billion IPO. The share are currently trading in the vicinity of $67 apiece, a massive correction from its $72 IPO price. Investors have become wary of the profitability of the company. The company could see further downing of its shares, with the news of Uber’s listing coming into the market.
There has been no official comment from either of the involved parties in Uber’s IPO. We will update the story once there is one.
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