Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) finished Friday, December 19, 2025, near the psychologically important $80 level and showed only modest movement in after-hours trading—yet the headlines and analyst debate around robotaxis, AI, and valuation are keeping the stock in the spotlight going into the next U.S. trading session.
Before diving in, one calendar note matters: U.S. markets are closed on Saturday and Sunday, so “tomorrow” (Dec. 20) won’t have a regular open. The next regular U.S. stock market open is Monday, December 22, 2025 (9:30 a.m. ET). And with the holidays approaching, Christmas Eve (Dec. 24, 2025) is an early close (1:00 p.m. ET) and Christmas Day (Dec. 25) is closed. [1]
Uber stock price after the bell: where UBER stands heading into Monday
Uber stock closed Friday at about $79.31, down roughly 0.5% on the day. In after-hours trading, shares ticked slightly higher—hovering around $79.54 late Friday evening (ET), a move of roughly +0.3% from the close. [2]
Key end-of-day context from the tape:
- Regular-session close (Dec. 19): ~$79.31 [3]
- After-hours (late Friday ET): ~$79.54 [4]
- Day range: ~$78.31 to ~$79.99 [5]
- 52-week range (as shown by major quote services): roughly high-$50s/low-$60s up to about $102 [6]
The big picture: UBER has been trading in a zone where investors are trying to decide whether the stock’s pullback is a valuation opportunity—or a warning that autonomous vehicles could reshape ride-hailing economics faster than expected.
The core narrative driving Uber right now: “cheap stock” vs. “robotaxi risk”
One of the most widely discussed themes around Uber in late 2025 is the market’s ongoing attempt to price an uncertain future: Uber as the mobility platform vs. robotaxis as the long-term disruptor.
A prominent bullish argument making the rounds is that Uber’s valuation has become unusually compressed relative to its growth expectations. A Bernstein-led view highlighted in market commentary argues that Uber looks “overly discounted” even with autonomous-vehicle competition intensifying, and points to a higher valuation framework and upside case. [7]
On the other side of that debate is the key investor fear: if the robotaxi market consolidates around a small number of dominant operators (for example, large integrated fleets and tech stacks), Uber may end up with less leverage than bulls expect—especially if Uber remains more of a partner/aggregator than an owner of large-scale autonomous fleets. [8]
This tension—platform strength today vs. autonomy uncertainty tomorrow—is the backdrop for most of the “what happens next?” UBER conversations heading into the final full trading week before Christmas.
Today’s analyst actions: Wedbush trims its target, while bullish targets remain far above Friday’s price
While Uber didn’t publish a new earnings report on Dec. 19, analyst updates and research notes are still shaping investor expectations.
Wedbush: price target lowered to $78, Neutral maintained
In a note circulated Friday morning, Wedbush analyst Scott Devitt lowered Uber’s price target to $78 from $84 and kept a Neutral rating, framing 2026 as a year where performance across consumer internet names could diverge as investors weigh autonomous-vehicle disruption, AI monetization, and ongoing investment cycles. [9]
That $78 target stands out because it’s near Friday’s trading range—and close to the day’s low around $78.31. [10]
Bullish targets: $115 and higher remain on the table
At the same time, other research views remain constructive. Investing.com’s summary of Bernstein commentary cited an Outperform stance and a $115 price target even as AV competition becomes more visible in headlines. [11]
Across the broader analyst landscape, published consensus trackers still show substantial upside vs. the high-$70s—often with average targets around the $108–$112 area and a broad range that can stretch from the high-$70s/low-$80s up to roughly $150 depending on the dataset. [12]
What that means going into Monday: UBER is sitting at a price level where headline risk can swing the narrative, because the “street” is not aligned around a tight target band—there’s a meaningful spread between cautious and bullish frameworks.
What the options market signaled on Dec. 19: heavy volume, “mixed” but slightly call-leaning
Another notable thread from Friday: options activity.
A market note summarized by TipRanks/TheFly described options volume running well above average (about 139,000 contracts) with calls leading puts for a put/call ratio around 0.46 (below a typical level near 0.7), alongside implied volatility readings in the lower end of recent observations. [13]
No single options statistic is a crystal ball—but heading into the next open, traders often watch for:
- unusual call/put skews (sentiment),
- implied-volatility shifts (expected move),
- and whether flow aligns with a catalyst (like a new regulatory headline or major AV announcement).
Uber and AI: CEO says AI is delivering “hundreds of millions” in benefits
One of the most shareable Uber stories posted Friday wasn’t about rides or deliveries at all—it was about AI as a productivity engine.
In an interview discussed publicly this week, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi described Uber’s AI adoption as highly practical—impacting everything from app recommendations to customer service—saying newer AI models are producing “hundreds of millions of dollars of benefit” for Uber, and that AI tools are turning engineers into “superhumans,” with the company hiring more engineers rather than fewer. [14]
For UBER stock watchers, this matters in two ways:
- Margin narrative: If AI meaningfully lowers operational friction (support, routing, diagnostics, matching), it can support incremental margin expansion—particularly in a scale business where efficiency improvements compound.
- Valuation narrative: In a market that still rewards “AI adjacency,” Uber is positioning itself as an “applied AI” operator rather than an infrastructure spender—potentially reducing capex risk while capturing productivity gains. [15]
Regulatory risk check: the Uber One lawsuit remains an overhang
Not all recent Uber headlines are upbeat. Earlier this week, the U.S. FTC, 21 states, and D.C. filed an amended complaint alleging deceptive billing and cancellation practices related to Uber One, including allegations around consent and cancellation difficulty. Uber has denied the allegations and disputed the characterization of its cancellation process. [16]
Even if Friday’s after-hours action was calm, this kind of regulatory litigation can act like a “headline overhang” that:
- changes the risk premium investors demand,
- introduces uncertainty around subscription economics,
- and increases the probability of sudden volatility on incremental legal developments.
Market context into the next open: year-end positioning, “Santa rally” hopes, and volatility hangovers
Uber is trading into a market that’s balancing year-end optimism with persistent uncertainty around rates, growth, and big thematic trades.
Reuters’ week-ahead framing described investors hoping for a Santa Claus rally into year-end while still watching interest-rate expectations and broader volatility. [17]
Friday also coincided with the year’s final major options expiration window (the “quadruple witching” dynamic), which can amplify volume and short-term price swings across many large-cap names. [18]
For UBER specifically, the implication is straightforward: if broader risk appetite improves into late December, stocks with clear narratives (AI + platform scale) can catch a bid quickly—while anything tied to uncertainty (robotaxi disruption, regulatory headlines) may remain choppy.
What to watch before Monday’s open: a practical checklist for UBER investors
Here are the items most likely to matter between now and the next U.S. open (Monday, Dec. 22):
1) Autonomous-vehicle headlines that change the “platform vs. fleet” equation
The market is highly sensitive to any update that suggests robotaxi economics are accelerating or consolidating. That includes funding news, geographic expansion, partnerships, or regulatory approvals for competitors—and any Uber-related robotaxi updates that strengthen its role as a distribution platform.
Recent AV ecosystem reporting has also highlighted that Uber is involved in various autonomy partnerships and testing plans, including a disclosed plan with Momenta to begin self-driving testing in Munich in 2026 (mentioned in Reuters coverage about Momenta’s broader deals). [19]
2) Follow-through from analysts and research desks
After Wedbush’s target cut to $78 and continued debate about AV disruption, investors will be watching if other firms publish follow-on notes that either:
- defend the valuation (and reiterate higher targets), or
- lean into disruption risk (and pull targets toward the market). [20]
3) Any incremental updates in the Uber One legal fight
The FTC/state case isn’t a day-trading catalyst every session, but new filings or statements can quickly become market-moving—especially in late December when liquidity thins. [21]
4) Liquidity and holiday schedule effects
With the holidays approaching, trading conditions can change quickly. Remember:
- Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) early close at 1:00 p.m. ET
- Dec. 25 closed [22]
That doesn’t impact Monday directly, but it can influence positioning and risk management throughout the week.
5) The next major “known date”: earnings timing
Many market calendars currently point to early February 2026 for Uber’s next earnings report (often listed as Feb. 4, 2026, though dates can be updated/confirmed by the company). [23]
The closer the market gets to earnings, the more likely it is that:
- implied volatility starts to rise,
- analyst notes cluster,
- and narrative-driven stocks experience sharper pre-positioning moves.
Bottom line after the Dec. 19 close
Uber ended Friday near $79 and held steady after hours—but the real story is the battle of narratives:
- Bull case: Uber is a scale platform with improving profitability levers, plus AI-driven efficiency gains, and (in some analyst models) a valuation that looks “too cheap” for its expected growth. [24]
- Bear/risk case: robotaxis could compress long-term take rates and bargaining power, while regulatory scrutiny (including the Uber One lawsuit) adds uncertainty. [25]
- Near-term reality: analysts are not singing from the same hymnal (targets span widely), and options positioning suggests traders are active—even without a single clear catalyst on Friday. [26]
References
1. www.nasdaq.com, 2. www.google.com, 3. www.google.com, 4. www.google.com, 5. www.google.com, 6. www.google.com, 7. www.marketwatch.com, 8. www.marketwatch.com, 9. www.tipranks.com, 10. www.google.com, 11. www.investing.com, 12. stockanalysis.com, 13. www.tipranks.com, 14. www.businessinsider.com, 15. www.businessinsider.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.investopedia.com, 19. www.reuters.com, 20. www.tipranks.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.nasdaq.com, 23. www.nasdaq.com, 24. www.businessinsider.com, 25. www.investing.com, 26. www.tipranks.com
