JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) Price Target to $18.00

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its price target on Lyft to $18 (from $17) while maintaining a "neutral" rating, implying about a 26% upside from the stock's current price.
• Lyft's Q1 beat on revenue ($1.65B, +17.2% YoY) but missed GAAP EPS ($0.04 vs. $0.30 consensus); management guided Q2 bookings and adjusted core profit above estimates and signaled >30% adjusted EBITDA expansion as it closes the Gett U.K. deal.
• The board authorized a $1.0 billion share buyback (up to 15.1% of shares), signaling management believes the stock is undervalued amid heavy institutional ownership and recent insider selling.

Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $17.00 to $18.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the ride-sharing company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would indicate a potential upside of 26.01% from the company's current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial increased their target price on Lyft from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Lyft from $22.00 to $18.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Lyft in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lyft from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Lyft in a report on Friday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.32.

Lyft Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:LYFT traded up $0.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $14.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 19,548,839 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,270,857. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $13.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Lyft has a 12 month low of $12.46 and a 12 month high of $25.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 2.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.84.

Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The ride-sharing company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.26). Lyft had a net margin of 45.03% and a negative return on equity of 3.79%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.01 earnings per share. Lyft's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Lyft will post 0.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lyft declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the ride-sharing company to purchase up to 15.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Lyft

In related news, CAO Stephen W. Hope sold 5,284 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.83, for a total value of $73,077.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 300,570 shares in the company, valued at $4,156,883.10. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Lindsay Catherine Llewellyn sold 23,661 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $354,915.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 916,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,740,330. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,699 shares of company stock valued at $771,756. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Lyft by 13.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,213 shares of the ride-sharing company's stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 2,921 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Lyft by 44.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 51,102 shares of the ride-sharing company's stock valued at $607,000 after purchasing an additional 15,621 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lyft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $470,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Lyft by 87.5% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,064,930 shares of the ride-sharing company's stock valued at $16,783,000 after buying an additional 497,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in Lyft by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 709,188 shares of the ride-sharing company's stock valued at $11,177,000 after buying an additional 79,634 shares during the last quarter. 83.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lyft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Lyft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company beat revenue and gross‑bookings estimates (Q1 revenue $1.65B; bookings up double digits) and reported year‑over‑year growth across key metrics, giving investors evidence of demand resilience. Lyft Reports Strong Q1 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management guided Q2 gross bookings and adjusted core profit above Street estimates and signaled >30% adjusted EBITDA expansion as it completes the Gett U.K. acquisition — guidance that helps explain the later intraday rebound. Lyft signals strong bookings after winter storms dent first-quarter rides
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic moves — closing Gett U.K. and continued investment in AV/driver products — are highlighted as drivers of margin expansion and longer‑term growth. Lyft expects ~20% gross bookings growth and >30% adjusted EBITDA expansion as it
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO David Risher said winter storms materially reduced Q1 ride volumes — an explanation that tempers the headline EPS miss but leaves room for debate on durability of demand. Lyft CEO Reveals Why Winter Storms Tanked Q1 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: coverage notes both Uber and Lyft have shifted competitive dynamics, which may reduce aggressive price wars but also compress margin upside potential. Uber and Lyft Stopped Competing and Started Thriving
• Negative Sentiment: Reported GAAP EPS ($0.04) missed consensus by a wide margin and total rides were weaker than expected, triggering initial profit‑taking and raising near‑term growth concerns. LYFT Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst skepticism persists — Bank of America reiterated a Sell rating citing competitive and margin pressures, which could limit near‑term upside. Lyft: Sell Rating Reiterated as Competitive and Margin Pressures Persist; $17 Price Target Maintained
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing legal exposure from recent assault‑related litigation remains a tail risk; investors should watch for developments that could increase costs or reputational damage. Motley Rice files suit vs. Lyft: Rideshare co. in crosshairs over assault claims

About Lyft

Lyft, Inc NASDAQ: LYFT operates a peer-to-peer ridesharing platform that connects passengers with drivers through a mobile application. Since its founding in 2012, the company has expanded beyond traditional ride-hailing to include bike and electric scooter rentals, while also offering rental cars and public transit options in select markets. Lyft's platform uses GPS mapping and dynamic pricing algorithms to optimize driver-passenger matches and route efficiency.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Lyft primarily serves urban and suburban markets across the United States and Canada.

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