DA Davidson Analyst: Choice Between Uber, Lyft Is Easy

The battle of public ride-hailing companies begins Friday when Uber becomes a public company. Should investors stick with the larger Uber or opt for rival Lyft Inc LYFT?

What Happened

D.A. Davidson senior research analyst Tom White told CNBC during a recent "Trading Nation" segment there will be a clear winner: Lyft.

The holder of the smaller market share in the U.S. market is the company that's seeing all the momentum, the analyst said. 

Over the last two years, Lyft has grown its market share from 22 percent to 39 percent as it tries to position itself as the "kindler, gentler Uber," he said. 

"Brands are something that investors get uncomfortable with; they're hard to value, but in Lyft's case we think that's been an important driver of the share gains."

Why It's Important

Uber's larger presence does give it a better chance of showing superior margin growth, and this would be "reasonable to expect" in the near-term, the analyst said. Yet Uber's revenue trends are "a lot less impressive" compared to Lyft's, highlighted by slowdowns in revenue growth and deterioration of profitability, he said. 

What's Next

Lyft has plenty of runways ahead to grow its domestic business and take market share from Uber, which is too busy focusing on "a lot of places on a lot of fronts," White said. 

Related Links:

Opinion | The Risks Facing Uber Ahead Of Its IPO

Riders, Revenue And Growth: What Analysts Say About Lyft's Q1 Earnings