Uber reported a third-quarter loss, however its shares nonetheless closed 11% increased after it beat income estimates and gave robust fourth-quarter steering. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi painted an optimistic image in a ready assertion Tuesday, saying the corporate delivered a “robust quarter” and is “nicely positioned to ship increasing profitability over the approaching quarters.” Regardless of Tuesday’s rally, shares of Uber are nonetheless down greater than 30% year-to-date — partially because of the broad market weak spot this yr but additionally a mirrored image of continued considerations over Uber’s rising prices and path to profitability. With such a combined image, ought to buyers purchase the dip on Uber, or ought to they proceed to remain on the sidelines? ‘Not for the faint of coronary heart’ Tech analyst Mark Mahaney believes Uber is “not for the faint of coronary heart” and requires a “affected person and long run development investor.” However he sees the corporate because the “greatest option to play the worldwide development in journey sharing and supply.” “It is a high-risk asset. However for individuals who are on the lookout for development and future revenue property — which is a really powerful factor to do on this market — there’s Uber. It is an organization that provides you development at scale, and we expect substantial profitability sooner or later,” Mahaney, senior managing director and head of the web analysis workforce at Evercore ISI, informed CNBC’s “Avenue Indicators Asia” on Wednesday. He mentioned Uber operates in a worldwide journey sharing and supply market that’s valued at $2 trillion. He believes the corporate is poised to develop its bookings by about 30% from its present buyer base of 90 million. Whereas Uber’s development potential is simple, buyers have lengthy been skeptical about its potential to take action profitably. However Mahaney believes there’s now proof that Uber has turned a nook — after the corporate turned free money movement constructive for the primary time within the June quarter. The corporate will generate about $4 billion in free money movement in 2024 and $5 billion in 2025, he estimates. “Should you put affordable multiples on that, you will get a double within the inventory, if you’re prepared to look out a yr or two. In order that’s why we like Uber, form of the easiest way to play the worldwide development in journey sharing and in supply,” he mentioned. Learn extra ‘Very engaging’: Purchase this automaker to play large pent-up demand in U.S., fund supervisor says Overlook Tesla? Citi and HSBC identify 2 alternate options to play the EV increase Goldman’s Jeff Currie reveals ‘one of the best’ hedge towards inflation, price hikes and geopolitical dangers He likens Uber’s present stage of development to the early days of Amazon , noting that the latter additionally took a few years to achieve constructive free money movement, however as soon as that “free money movement level was reached, issues simply began spiraling up.” “I am unsure if [Uber] is pretty much as good of an organization. However the finish markets are extraordinarily massive right here. And that is the Uber pitch. It is nonetheless early stage, however you simply hit that free money movement inflection, and also you get loads of market cap creation when that inflection level will get hit,” he mentioned. Mahaney mentioned he finds it “fascinating” that Uber is up 50% because the center of the yr. “That is not arbitrary … It is popping on free money movement. The market is now [thinking], we now have had two quarters in a row. That is not a development, however your 3Q is available in and your 4Q comes, this inventory will proceed to rerate,” he added. Mahaney mentioned Uber’s increased margin mobility enterprise is now recovering because the pandemic weans, whereas the corporate’s regulatory challenges have been “overstated.” “It is a diversified enterprise. This isn’t simply journey sharing, and it isn’t simply supply … the great value and income synergies between these two segments. And once more, it is the worldwide chief in every of those verticals,” he mentioned. Not actual power Louis Navellier, founder and chief funding officer at Navellier & Associates, believes Tuesday’s rally was merely a “huge quick protecting rally.” “Quick protecting ought to by no means be confused with actual power,” he mentioned. Navellier famous that Uber’s working earnings are nonetheless destructive, and he will not “contact it” until the corporate “truly earns cash.” “And clearly it has one other earnings miss on which it likes to do huge time. And I simply haven’t got confidence that they are going to have the ability to monetize this,” he mentioned. Even when Uber begins earning money, Navellier warned that the present atmosphere of “very low multiples” could also be a headwind for the corporate. “You may see that even when the corporate begins incomes cash as Tesla has lately, Wall Avenue nonetheless crushed it as a result of the a number of could also be too excessive. We at the moment are in an atmosphere of very low multiples on Wall Avenue,” he mentioned. To make certain, Navellier shouldn’t be towards shopping for Uber shares — he is simply not touching the inventory for now, given the present difficult macro backdrop. “I understand Wall Avenue love disruptors … I’d put Uber within the disrupter camp and there will probably be a time for it, nevertheless it’s not now. Persons are simply too scared they usually’re too conservative. So, it is simply not the time,” he mentioned.