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I have lots of stocks in my ISA and Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) that I consider to be ‘no-brainers’. From online shopping giant Amazon to payments powerhouse Visa, there are plenty of world-class companies with significant long-term growth potential in my portfolio.
As for the biggest no-brainer, I reckon it’s rideshare and food delivery champion Uber (NYSE: UBER). Here’s why.
The compelling investment case for Uber
One reason I categorise Uber thus is that the company’s name’s a verb. That’s a powerful competitive advantage.
Because it means the company’s always at the forefront of consumers’ minds. When I arrive at an international airport and need a ride to my accommodation, for example, I always look to ‘Uber’ it.
Another is that the company has a near-monopoly in many major markets. In London, for instance, there are no other rideshare companies that come close to Uber in terms of market share (I can’t remember the last time I used Bolt!).
Another key part to the investment thesis here is that Uber’s very scalable. It’s continually expanding into new cities, getting bigger and bigger all the time.
It’s also continually offering new services. Some examples here include Uber Courier in London, Uber Shuttle (local shuttle services) in several US cities, and Uber Caregiver (this lets caregivers book rides for care recipients).
Of course, it’s also partnering with a ton of autonomous driving companies to offer self-driving taxis. Recently, I used the Uber app to grab a ride in one of Google’s self-driving Waymo taxis in the US.
Finally, its financials look great. Revenue’s growing by around 15%-20% a year while profits are expanding at a healthy rate too.
The company’s also buying back a ton of its own shares (it announced a $20bn buyback in August). This is boosting earnings per share (EPS).
Attractive valuation
Now, with so much going for it, you’d expect Uber to have a sky-high valuation. But right now, it doesn’t. For the current year, analysts expect the company to generate EPS of $5.24. That puts the stock on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 17.4.
At that earnings multiple, I see a lot of value. I’ll point out however, that earnings this year have been boosted by a $4.9bn tax valuation release. So earnings next year are likely to be lower.
Worth a look below $100
Of course, there are risks to consider with this stock. One is competition from Tesla’s robotaxis. Personally, I don’t see this as a major threat given Uber’s self-driving partnerships, but some investors do.
Another is regulatory interference. This could potentially lead to fines that hit profits.
It’s also worth pointing out that recently the stock has struggled to break clear of the $100 mark. Right now, this area’s acting as ‘resistance’ for the share price.
I think it’s only a matter of time until it hurdles this barrier (and keeps rising). So I think it’s worth considering today.
It’s not the only stock I like at the moment though.
