Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Downgraded by Cantor Fitzgerald to “Neutral”

Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has $65.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $63.00.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Maplebear from $55.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Maplebear from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Maplebear from $69.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Benchmark lifted their target price on Maplebear from $55.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Maplebear from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.33.

Maplebear Stock Performance

CART opened at $56.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.87. Maplebear has a 52-week low of $32.73 and a 52-week high of $62.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $49.05 and its 200-day moving average is $43.31.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share 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 company earned $0.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Maplebear will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Maplebear

In other Maplebear news, Director Ravi Gupta sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.61, for a total transaction of $7,591,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 591,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,936,979.03. The trade was a 20.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lisa Blackwood-Kapral sold 3,017 shares of Maplebear stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total value of $142,040.36. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,775,622.20. The trade was a 7.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 309,928 shares of company stock valued at $16,121,073. Corporate insiders own 24.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maplebear

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CART. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Maplebear by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Maplebear by 5.1% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in Maplebear by 4.3% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its position in shares of Maplebear by 91.5% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Maplebear by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. 63.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Maplebear

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.