Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Stock Rating Cut to “Hold” at Wedbush

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wedbush from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Maplebear from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Barclays downgraded shares of Maplebear from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $77.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Maplebear from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $60.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday. Argus raised their target price on shares of Maplebear from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.33.

Maplebear Price Performance

NASDAQ CART opened at $56.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.87. Maplebear has a 1-year low of $32.73 and a 1-year high of $62.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.31.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. Maplebear had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 11.59%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Maplebear will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Maplebear

In other news, CAO Lisa Blackwood-Kapral sold 3,017 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total transaction of $142,040.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,775,622.20. This represents a 7.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Morgan Fong sold 18,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.00, for a total transaction of $937,890.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 529,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,025,461. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 309,928 shares of company stock worth $16,121,073. 24.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Maplebear

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CART. NFSG Corp acquired a new position in shares of Maplebear in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Maplebear during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CX Institutional raised its position in shares of Maplebear by 91.5% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Maplebear by 94.7% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in Maplebear during the second quarter worth $62,000. 63.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Maplebear News

Here are the key news stories impacting Maplebear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DoorDash agreed to acquire Maplebear, which operates as Instacart, in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at approximately $17 billion. Maplebear shareholders are expected to receive $65 in cash, 0.3372 shares of DoorDash, or a combination subject to proration. The offer provides a potential premium if the transaction closes. Shareholder Alert: The M&A Class Action Firm Announces an Investigation of Maplebear Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: The proposed combination would unite DoorDash’s restaurant-delivery network with Instacart’s grocery platform. Management expects at least $500 million in operational efficiencies and believes greater scale could improve delivery economics and competition with Amazon and Walmart. DoorDash to acquire Instacart for $17B
• Neutral Sentiment: Maplebear’s third-quarter revenue increased 16.6% year over year to roughly $1.1 billion, while earnings rose to $0.60 per share from $0.42. However, earnings missed estimates of approximately $0.63-$0.64 per share. Maplebear Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: The wide gap between CART’s trading level and the $65 offer indicates that investors doubt the transaction will close quickly or successfully. The companies expect closing in late 2027 or the first half of 2028, leaving shareholders exposed to regulatory and execution risk for as long as two years. Maplebear also suspended forward guidance and canceled its scheduled earnings call. DoorDash’s $17 Billion Bet on Instacart Faces a Long Regulatory Road Ahead
• Negative Sentiment: Antitrust scrutiny is a major concern because the deal would combine two leading U.S. delivery platforms. Worker advocates and New York City officials have criticized the transaction over possible higher prices, reduced competition and weaker worker bargaining power.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts downgraded Maplebear to neutral, equal weight or hold, including Barclays, Needham, Cantor Fitzgerald, Citizens JMP and Bernstein. Although some firms retained $65 price targets, the ratings signal limited confidence in upside before the merger’s outcome is clearer. Law firms have also announced investigations into whether shareholders are receiving a fair price and whether directors fulfilled their fiduciary duties.

About Maplebear

Maplebear Inc, doing business as Instacart, operates a technology-enabled grocery marketplace that connects consumers with retailers and personal shoppers. Through its website and mobile applications, customers can order groceries and other household products for delivery or pickup from participating supermarkets, specialty food stores, convenience retailers and other merchants.

The company also provides retailers with e-commerce, fulfillment and advertising solutions. Its platform supports online storefronts, order management, delivery logistics, customer engagement and data-driven marketing, allowing retail partners to offer digital shopping services and reach consumers through Instacart’s marketplace.

Founded in 2012, Maplebear serves customers across the United States and Canada.