RiverPark Advisors, an investment advisory firm and sponsor of the RiverPark family of mutual funds, released its “RiverPark Large Growth Fund” first quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. During the first quarter, the markets performed strongly. The Russell 1000 Growth Index (RLG) and the S&P 500 index returned 11.41% and 10.56%, respectively during the quarter and RPX returned 9.20%. The monthly inflation readings in the first quarter exceeded market expectations. A couple of megatrends that drove the markets higher were GLP-1 weight loss drugs and everything related to artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2024.
RiverPark Large Growth Fund highlighted stocks like Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER), in the first quarter 2024 investor letter. Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) develops and operates proprietary technology applications. The one-month return Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) was -6.49%, and its shares gained 66.63% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On May 30, 2024, Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) stock closed at $64.12 per share with a market capitalization of $133.98 billion.
RiverPark Large Growth Fund stated the following regarding Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:
“Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER): UBER was a top contributor in the quarter following better than expected 4Q23 earnings and 1Q24 guidance. Gross bookings of $37.6 billion were up 22% year over year. Mobility gross bookings of $19.3 billion grew 29% over last year driven by a combination of product innovation and driver availability. Delivery gross bookings of $17 billion were up 19% from last year and continued to be strong throughout the quarter. 4Q Adjusted EBITDA of $1.3 billion, up $618 million year over year, was better than management’s guidance of $1.2 billion, and the company generated $768 million of free cash flow, up from a cash loss of $303 million last year. Management guided to continuing growth in 1Q Gross Bookings (20% growth) and Adjusted EBITDA (of $1.3 billion). The company hosted a well-received analyst day in February during which it guided to three year compounded annual growth rates for gross bookings of mid-to-high single digits and EBITDA of 30-40%, both above investor expectations. The company also guided to free cash flow conversion of 90% of EBITDA.
UBER remains the undisputed global leader in ride sharing, with a greater than 50% share in every major region in which it operates. The company is also a leader in food delivery, where it is number one or two in the more than 25 countries in which it operates. Moreover, after a history of losses, the company is now profitable, delivering expanding margins and substantial free cash flow. We view UBER as more than a ride sharing and food delivery service; we also see it as a global mobility platform with 142 million users (by comparison, Amazon Prime has 200 million members) and the ability to penetrate new markets of on-demand services, such as package and grocery delivery, travel, and hourly worker staffing. Given its $5.4 billion of unrestricted cash and $4.8 billion of investments, the company today has an enterprise value of $165 billion, indicating that UBER trades at 21x our estimates of next year’s free cash flow.”
A close up view of a hand holding a smartphone, using a ride sharing app.
Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) is in 8th position on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 130 hedge fund portfolios held Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) at the end of the first quarter which was 129 in the previous quarter.
In another article, we discussed Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and shared the list of best Jim Cramer stocks to buy. Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) was a top performer of RiverPark Large Growth Fund in the previous quarter. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2024 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
