Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Stock Rating Cut to “Market Perform” at Citizens Jmp

Citizens Jmp downgraded shares of Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) from a market outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Benchmark upped their price objective on Maplebear from $55.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC lowered Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Maplebear from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Maplebear from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Maplebear presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.33.

Maplebear Trading Down 1.2%

NASDAQ CART opened at $56.45 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $49.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.31. Maplebear has a 12-month low of $32.73 and a 12-month high of $62.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Insider Activity at Maplebear

In other news, CFO Emily Reuter sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $2,750,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 599,337 shares in the company, valued at $32,963,535. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.00, for a total transaction of $937,890.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 529,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,025,461. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 309,928 shares of company stock valued at $16,121,073 over the last three months. Insiders own 24.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maplebear

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Maplebear by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 period. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in Maplebear by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in Maplebear by 91.5% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Maplebear by 11.3% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. 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.

Maplebear Company Profile

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.