Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) finished Thursday’s regular session around $79.69, up about 0.7% on the day, after trading between roughly $79.20 and $80.71 with volume near 18.6 million shares.
In early after-hours trading, UBER hovered near the $80 level—about $80.08 at roughly 5:39 p.m. ET—a modest move that reflects how the market is weighing a “headline-heavy” day for Uber against a broader risk-on tone sparked by cooler U.S. inflation data. [1]
Below is what investors are reacting to tonight—and what matters most before the market opens Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
Uber stock after the bell: where UBER stands now
Regular-session recap (Thursday, Dec. 18):
- Last/close: about $79.69 (up ~0.7%) [2]
- Day range: roughly $79.20 – $80.71
- Volume: about 18.55M shares
After-hours check: around $80.08 in early post-market trading (thin liquidity; prices can change quickly). [3]
Why the “$80 handle” matters: it’s become a widely watched psychological level in recent sessions—showing up repeatedly in analyst commentary and valuation discussions as the market debates whether Uber’s current multiple properly reflects autonomous-vehicle risk and the company’s longer-term margin opportunity. [4]
The macro backdrop helped: inflation cooled, stocks bounced
Uber’s session unfolded alongside a broad U.S. market rebound. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq gained 1.4% on Thursday, with Treasury yields easing after inflation data came in softer than economists expected. [5]
Reuters reported U.S. CPI rose 2.7% year over year in November, below forecasts, while also noting that shutdown-related disruptions could distort parts of the dataset. Still, the “cooling inflation” signal supported risk assets into the close. [6]
For UBER specifically, that matters because:
- Lower yields typically support higher-multiple growth and platform companies.
- Investor appetite for “durable cash flow + secular growth” stories tends to improve when rate-cut expectations rise.
Today’s Uber headlines: what moved sentiment on Dec. 18
1) New state legal actions add to the Uber One overhang
A major thread this week—still influencing the stock—remains the FTC-led Uber One lawsuit, which expanded via an amended complaint filed Monday, Dec. 15. Reuters reported the complaint alleges deceptive enrollment, billing, and cancellation practices tied to Uber One, including claims that some users faced a cancellation process requiring many steps. Uber denied the allegations and said most cancellations take about 20 seconds or less in-app. [7]
What changed today is that additional state and local officials continued to publicly align with the case:
- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday that Michigan joined a coalition backing the lawsuit (trial currently scheduled for February 2027, according to the release). [8]
- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond also announced a lawsuit filing and outlined alleged “negative option” marketing concerns, early charges before billing dates, and cancellation difficulty; the release likewise points to a February 2027 trial schedule in the Northern District of California. [9]
- The FTC says the amended complaint seeks civil penalties and other relief under ROSCA and state laws. [10]
Why this matters before Friday’s open: It’s not that the case will be resolved soon—it won’t. The risk is drip-by-drip headlines and the possibility that regulators’ claims create uncertainty around one of Uber’s highest-profile “membership” products (and a key lever for cross-selling rides, delivery, and retail). [11]
2) Executive change: Uber’s safety chief says he’s leaving early next year
Another notable headline crossing Thursday: Gus Fuldner, Uber’s SVP of Safety & Core Services, said in a LinkedIn post that he will be leaving the company early in the new year (reported by Bloomberg News / Bloomberg Law). [12]
Uber describes Fuldner’s scope as spanning safety and cross-company functions including customer support, payments, insurance, and scaled tech solutions. [13]
Market relevance: Executive transitions don’t always move the stock, but safety-related leadership can draw attention because Uber’s brand and regulatory exposure are closely tied to platform trust, incident response, and rider protections—especially at a time when litigation and regulatory scrutiny remain elevated across the sector. [14]
3) “Robotaxi risk” debate returns—along with the “cheap Uber” valuation argument
One of the most-read Uber stock analyses today came from MarketWatch, highlighting how Uber has become “almost historically cheap” in valuation terms when robotaxi fears spike. The piece cites Bernstein research arguing UBER trades around 15.5x EV/EBITDA, a level seen mainly during previous peaks in autonomous-vehicle anxiety, and calls the stock “overly discounted” with an Outperform rating and a $115 price target. [15]
The same analysis underscores why investors keep circling the same question: Are robotaxis an existential threat to Uber’s take rate and long-term ride economics—or simply another supply type that Uber can aggregate? MarketWatch notes competition pressure from players like Tesla and Waymo, while also pointing to Uber’s strategy of partnering with many autonomous and robotics firms rather than building a single captive fleet. [16]
This matters overnight because the robotaxi narrative can swing quickly—often on little more than competitor updates, regulatory approvals, or pilot expansions. When that theme heats up, Uber’s multiple has tended to compress even if near-term operating results remain solid. [17]
4) Analyst forecasts: what Wall Street is projecting right now
Today’s analyst chatter was notably supportive, even as the stock trades well below many targets:
- Bernstein: reiterated Outperform and highlighted upside potential from current levels. [18]
- MarketBeat consensus snapshot: average 12‑month price target around $108.60, with a wide range (low end near the high‑$70s, high end in the mid‑$130s, depending on the analyst set). [19]
These targets aren’t guarantees—but they frame why dips toward the high‑$70s have attracted “valuation support” narratives, even as regulatory and robotaxi headlines pressure sentiment. [20]
5) Options activity: a caution flag (and a setup into Friday)
A Benzinga options note published Thursday described unusually active options flow and characterized some large trades as bearish. [21]
Options flow is not the same thing as fundamentals—big put buying can be speculation, hedging, or part of multi-leg strategies—but it does reinforce one key takeaway for Friday: traders are positioning for volatility, not quiet consolidation. [22]
What to know before the market opens Friday, Dec. 19, 2025
1) Watch for fresh legal headlines (they’ve been moving the tape)
The FTC/Uber One case is now a multi-state story, and state AG offices are issuing their own releases. That creates a steady pipeline of incremental headlines—even if the underlying lawsuit has not materially changed since the amended complaint. [23]
Pre-market sensitivity: If another large state joins (or if Uber issues a pointed rebuttal or policy update), the stock can gap premarket even without new financial information.
2) Tomorrow’s economic calendar could influence growth stocks (including UBER)
Reuters’ “day ahead” preview flagged several U.S. releases to watch Friday, including:
- Existing home sales (National Association of Realtors)
- University of Michigan final consumer sentiment for December
- Additional labor and inflation-adjacent indicators [24]
The University of Michigan’s site confirms the final December sentiment release is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19, at 10 a.m. ET. [25]
Given today’s CPI-driven rally, any surprise that shifts rate-cut expectations could spill into Uber and other platform names at the open. [26]
3) It’s “triple witching” Friday—expect heavier volume and sharper intraday swings
Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 is the third Friday of the quarter-ending month, when multiple derivatives contracts expire. Investopedia notes triple witching involves the simultaneous expiration of stock options, stock index futures, and stock index options, often increasing trading volume and sometimes amplifying late-day moves. [27]
Tastytrade’s calendar-style explainer lists Dec. 19, 2025 among 2025’s triple-witching dates. [28]
A practical implication for Uber shareholders: even if there’s no Uber-specific catalyst Friday morning, market-wide positioning and hedging flows can create outsized moves in liquid large caps like UBER—particularly around widely watched strike levels near round numbers. [29]
4) Key price levels traders will watch at the open
Without turning this into a “pure technicals” story, two reference points stand out from today’s tape:
- $80 area: psychological level; also where after-hours hovered [30]
- Today’s session range: roughly $79.20 support / $80.71 resistance based on Thursday’s high-low
If UBER opens above today’s high with volume, it suggests the market is leaning into the “valuation support” narrative. If it breaks below the day’s low early, traders may read it as the legal overhang reasserting itself into options expiration.
5) Fundamentals vs. headlines: what long-term investors are still tracking
Even on headline-driven weeks, Uber’s core investment debate remains centered on:
- Bookings growth and margin expansion
- The durability of mobility demand and delivery economics
- Whether Uber’s partnership approach positions it to monetize autonomous vehicles rather than be disrupted by them [31]
For baseline fundamentals, Uber’s most recent quarterly update (Q3 2025) included Q4 outlook ranges for gross bookings and adjusted EBITDA, which continue to anchor many models—even as the market trades the news cycle. [32]
Bottom line for UBER heading into Friday’s open
Uber stock is ending Dec. 18, 2025 near $80 with only modest after-hours movement, but the setup into Friday looks more volatile than the closing print suggests.
The “what matters” list is clear:
- Uber One legal scrutiny is expanding at the state level, keeping a regulatory headline risk premium in the stock. [33]
- Robotaxi narratives are back in focus, and valuation arguments are increasingly being used as a counterweight. [34]
- Triple witching + fresh economic data Friday raises the odds of bigger intraday swings—whether or not Uber releases any new company-specific information overnight. [35]
References
1. www.marketscreener.com, 2. www.marketscreener.com, 3. www.marketscreener.com, 4. www.marketwatch.com, 5. www.barchart.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.michigan.gov, 9. oklahoma.gov, 10. www.ftc.gov, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.linkedin.com, 13. www.uber.com, 14. news.bloomberglaw.com, 15. www.marketwatch.com, 16. www.marketwatch.com, 17. www.marketwatch.com, 18. www.marketwatch.com, 19. www.marketbeat.com, 20. www.marketwatch.com, 21. www.benzinga.com, 22. www.benzinga.com, 23. www.reuters.com, 24. www.tradingview.com, 25. www.sca.isr.umich.edu, 26. www.reuters.com, 27. www.investopedia.com, 28. www.tastylive.com, 29. www.investopedia.com, 30. www.marketscreener.com, 31. www.marketwatch.com, 32. investor.uber.com, 33. www.reuters.com, 34. www.marketwatch.com, 35. www.investopedia.com
