Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Stock Moved Down to Hold by Wedbush

Wedbush lowered shares of Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Friday,Zacks reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CART. Guggenheim upped their target price on Maplebear from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Maplebear from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Needham & Company LLC lowered Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Rosenblatt Securities started coverage on Maplebear in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Seven investment 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.33.

Maplebear Stock Performance

Shares of CART stock opened at $56.45 on Friday. Maplebear has a 52-week low of $32.73 and a 52-week high of $62.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.31. The company has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.40, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.87.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.03). Maplebear had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 11.59%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. Maplebear’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Maplebear will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Maplebear

In other Maplebear news, CEO Chris Rogers sold 24,665 shares of Maplebear stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $1,479,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 867,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,074,660. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $51.00, for a total transaction of $937,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 529,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,025,461. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 309,928 shares of company stock valued at $16,121,073 in the last three months. 24.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maplebear

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CART. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Maplebear in the second quarter worth $750,477,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Maplebear by 31.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,981,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,618,000 after buying an additional 1,189,287 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Maplebear during the 2nd quarter valued at $86,462,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Maplebear during the 2nd quarter valued at $73,801,000. Finally, Goodnow Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Maplebear during the 2nd quarter valued at $69,898,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.09% of the company’s stock.

Maplebear News Roundup

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.