Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Downgraded by Citizens Jmp to Hold

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) was downgraded by research analysts at Citizens Jmp from a “market outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Benchmark raised their target price on Maplebear from $55.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wedbush started coverage on Maplebear in a report on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $59.00 price target for the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Maplebear from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Maplebear from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered shares of Maplebear from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.33.

Maplebear Price Performance

Shares of CART opened at $56.45 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $49.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.31. The stock has a market cap of $13.07 billion, a PE ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.87. Maplebear has a 12 month low of $32.73 and a 12 month high of $62.00.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. Maplebear’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Maplebear will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Maplebear

In other news, CAO Lisa Blackwood-Kapral sold 3,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.58, for a total transaction of $149,533.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 34,699 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,376.42. This trade represents a 8.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Morgan Fong sold 18,390 shares of Maplebear stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.00, for a total value of $937,890.00. Following the sale, the insider directly 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 309,928 shares of company stock valued at $16,121,073. 24.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maplebear

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CART. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Maplebear in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $750,477,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Maplebear by 31.4% during the 1st 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 last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Maplebear during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $86,462,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Maplebear by 10.0% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,567,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,702,000 after buying an additional 142,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Maplebear by 16.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,562,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,516,000 after buying an additional 221,036 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.09% of the company’s stock.

More 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.

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.