Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Stock Rating Cut to Hold at Sanford C. Bernstein

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) was downgraded by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $65.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $60.00. Sanford C. Bernstein‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 15.15% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on CART. Needham & Company LLC downgraded Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Maplebear from an “overweight” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $63.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Maplebear from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on Maplebear from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Citizens Jmp cut Maplebear from a “market outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $58.33.

Maplebear Stock Down 1.2%

NASDAQ:CART opened at $56.45 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $49.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.31. Maplebear has a 52 week low of $32.73 and a 52 week high of $62.00. The stock has a market cap 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 announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 22.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. Maplebear’s revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Maplebear will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Maplebear news, Director Ravi Gupta sold 150,000 shares of Maplebear stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.61, for a total value of $7,591,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lisa Blackwood-Kapral sold 3,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.58, for a total transaction of $149,533.28. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 34,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,376.42. This represents a 8.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 worth $16,121,073 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 24.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Maplebear

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. NFSG Corp purchased a new stake in Maplebear during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Maplebear in the third quarter worth about $27,000. CX Institutional boosted its position in Maplebear by 91.5% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Maplebear by 94.7% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in Maplebear in the second quarter worth about $62,000. Institutional investors own 63.09% of the company’s stock.

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.