Lyft Takes Next Step to Go Public, Registers for IPO
*By Carlo Versano*
Lyft filed for its initial public offering in a confidential registration [statement](http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20181206:nPn2d3W3Ja.) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, it announced in a [press release](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lyft-announces-confidential-submission-of-draft-registration-statement-for-proposed-initial-public-offering-300761224.html) Thursday morning.
The ride-hailing company said it has not yet determined the number of shares or price range for the IPO.
The company's statement is the first official step in becoming a public company. Lyft had previously lined up the banks, reportedly JPMorgan and Jeffries, that will do the deal. It now must wait for the SEC to complete its review before it can initiate the offering. The company was most recently valued around $15 billion, and a successful float could raise that number.
The IPO is expected to commence in the first half of 2019. Rival Uber also has an IPO in the works, which is sure to eclipse Lyft's valuation when it is priced. Uber has been speculated to be worth as much as $120 billion.
For Lyft, "there's a lot of advantages to going first" said Maya Kosoff of Vanity Fair.
Lyft is closer to profitability than Uber (though neither is there yet), benefits from better PR, and any regulatory changes that stem from Lyft's rollout could affect Uber's valuation, Kosoff noted.
Lyft, which only operates in North America, has sought to diversify from ride-hailing, and recently acquired Motivate, the country's largest bike-share operator. It is also piloting electric scooters in select markets. Uber has made similar moves, though both companies get the lion's share of their revenues from the commissions generated from the car rides users book on their apps.
Image-sharing app Pinterest reported big beats on its Q4 earnings for the top and bottom lines. The social platform surprised investors after seeing a decline in users while earnings and revenue were much higher than expected.
The Labor Department's January jobs report showed 467,000 jobs were added, compared to the 150,000 that were projected, a sign that employment is continuign to return to pre-pandemic levels. Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at investment bank Stifel, joined Cheddar to break down the report, noting the big gains but adding a note of caution. "Remember, even with this morning's stellar report, we're still millions below that level that we had reached prior to the onset of COVID-19," she said." Yes, we are recapturing jobs. We still have further ground that needs to be made before we can talk about reaching that previous peak." Piegza also discussed the role of the Federal Reserve going forward as the employment figures turn more positive.
Stocks closed at session lows Thursday, mostly due to a larger tech selloff after Facebook parent company Meta reported weak earnings results one day before. The Nasdaq closed down nearly 4% for its worst day since September 2020. Erin Gibbs, Chief Investment Officer at Main Street Asset Management, joins Closing Bell to discuss today's close, Meta earnings, Amazon earnings, and more
Spotify beat fourth quarter earnings expectations, and also reported a jump in monthly active users and in paid subscribers. The report comes as the company grapples with a new question: is it simply a streaming platform, or is it a media company responsible for the content it posts, like Joe Rogan's controversial podcast? Greg Martin, Co-Founder of Rainmaker Securities, joins Closing Bell to discuss why the stock took a hit even though earnings results were positive, how the company can move forward through the Rogan controversy, and more.
Chen Arad, Chief Operating Officer for Solidus Labs, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why Wormhole was particularly vulnerable to a $320+ million crypto hack and discusses what new investors need to do in order to protect their assets.
