12. Uber Technologies (UBER)
Number of Hedge Funds: 147 (2025Q4)
Number of Hedge Funds: 143 (2025Q3)
Uber Technologies (UBER) is seeing a powerful surge in conviction from high-profile hedge funds, even as the stock navigates a period of price correction. Based on the Insider Monkey data, the “smart money” is positioning for a massive autonomous driving and mobility breakout.
1. Explosive Hedge Fund Accumulation
Elite managers are treating Uber as one of the most promising “future of AI” stocks, with several major funds significantly increasing their stakes:
- Marshall Wace (Paul Marshall & Ian Wace): This firm made an aggressive high-conviction move, increasing its position by a staggering 281%, holding over 6.6 million shares valued at approximately $547 million.
- Pershing Square (Bill Ackman): Remains the dominant hedge fund anchor, holding a massive $2.47 billion stake that represents nearly 16% of Ackman’s total 13F portfolio.
- Billionaire Backing: Uber currently ranks among billionaire David Tepper’s (Appaloosa Management) 10 favorite stocks.
- Gardner Russo & Gardner: Increased its stake by 10%, signaling long-term value conviction from veteran investor Tom Russo.
2. Analyst Upgrades & The “Autonomous Future” Thesis
The institutional bullishness is rooted in Uber’s transition into an AI-driven platform:
- Price Target Upgrades: On February 5, 2026, Susquehanna reaffirmed its Positive rating, and earlier in January, BofA Securities maintained a Buy rating with a target of $93.
- Autonomous Driving Tailwinds: Analysts are re-rating Uber following CES 2026, where automated driving regained industry focus. Uber is being viewed as the primary “operating system” for future autonomous vehicle fleets.
- The “Bull Case” Theory: Recent investor letters (including Nikhs’s Substack) argue that Uber’s strong revenue growth and mobility dominance make it one of the “most promising future stocks to buy now.”
3. Insider Trading: Recent “Skin in the Game” vs. Programmatic Sales
The insider roster shows a high level of engagement, with significant purchases occurring in late February 2026 even as the stock trades down 15% year-to-date.
- Balaji Krishnamurthy (CFO): Made a notable open-market purchase on February 24, 2026, buying 22,400 shares at $71.25 (a total value of roughly $1.6 million). This is a strong internal signal of confidence during a price dip.
- Tony West (CLO): Has been executing routine, programmatic sales throughout late 2025 and January 2026, offloading small blocks of 3,125 shares at prices between $80 and $93.
- Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah (CFO): Also engaged in tactical selling in late 2025, offloading 5,500 shares at $94.41 before the recent price correction.
Summary Verdict
Uber is currently a “Consensus Future-Tech Winner.” The 281% increase from Marshall Wace and the $1.6 million purchase by the CFO at $71.25 suggest that the smartest money on Wall Street views the recent 15% drop as a temporary buying opportunity. While Jim Cramer has cautioned about “over-trading” in the name, the consensus among 132 bullish hedge funds and major analysts like Citi and UBS is that Uber’s platform power in the autonomous era is vastly undervalued.
