New York, Jan 18, 2026, 04:52 EST — Market closed
- Uber shares closed Friday 0.5% higher, at $84.85.
- The company is supporting a California ballot measure that would cap lawyers’ fees in car-crash cases, sparking a potentially expensive battle with trial attorneys.
- Ahead of Uber’s Feb. 4 earnings call, investors are keeping a close eye on its growing grocery delivery efforts.
Uber Technologies (UBER.N) shares ended Friday at $84.85, gaining roughly 0.5% after swinging between $83.01 and $85.01. The stock faces a new hurdle this week as Uber starts collecting signatures for a California ballot measure aimed at limiting lawyer fees in vehicle-collision lawsuits — a plan that’s already drawing fire from trial attorneys.
U.S. markets are closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, forcing investors to rethink risks ahead of Tuesday’s open as earnings season gains momentum. “With all the noise around geopolitics and policy, earnings have to drive the news cycle,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth, in an interview with Reuters. Reuters
Wall Street slipped on Friday, closing out the week with the S&P 500 down 0.1%, the Dow off 0.2%, and the Nasdaq also retreating 0.1%, per an Associated Press report.
Lyft, Uber’s smaller rival in U.S. ride-hailing, dropped 2.9% on Friday.
Uber’s delivery division is doubling down on groceries. Kroger has launched “on-demand and same day” delivery across nearly 2,700 stores via the Uber Eats, Uber, and Postmates apps. This move pushes Uber further into a competitive space dominated by Instacart and DoorDash. Kroger executive Jody Kalmbach described the partnership as a way to “deliver even more convenience and flexibility.” Meanwhile, Hashim Amin, Uber’s North American grocery and retail head, called it a “simple, reliable way” for families to handle their weekly shopping. Newsweek
Uber has set Feb. 4 for its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings report, scheduled for 5:00 a.m. Pacific time (8:00 a.m. Eastern).
In a separate SEC filing, Uber announced it will switch the non-GAAP metrics it reports starting in Q1 2026. The ride-hailing giant is dropping adjusted EBITDA—a profit metric that excludes interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization—in favor of non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, and non-GAAP earnings per share. Uber said these new figures align more closely with GAAP results by including items like depreciation and stock-based compensation that adjusted EBITDA had previously left out.
Uber’s earnings reports usually put the spotlight on demand trends in Mobility and Delivery, along with whether promotions and membership perks are boosting volume without hurting margins. The new reporting metrics will probably make traders scrutinize how comparable these numbers are from one quarter to the next.
Still, the California ballot effort isn’t without risks. A lengthy, costly campaign risks prolonging legal and political scrutiny on the company. The measure’s fate remains unclear, and opponents have deep pockets. At the same time, any dip in consumer spending would strain the business amid fierce rides and delivery competition.
