Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Stock Dropped to “Hold” by Jefferies Financial Group

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) was downgraded by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Zacks reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC downgraded Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Citizens Jmp cut Maplebear from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Maplebear from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $63.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday. Wedbush assumed coverage on Maplebear in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $59.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Argus increased their target price on Maplebear from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.33.

Maplebear Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of CART stock opened at $56.45 on Friday. Maplebear has a 12-month low of $32.73 and a 12-month high of $62.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $49.05 and a 200-day moving average of $43.31.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Maplebear had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 11.59%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. Research analysts expect that Maplebear will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Maplebear

In other Maplebear news, CFO Emily Reuter sold 50,000 shares of Maplebear 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 599,337 shares of the company’s stock, 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 the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Lisa Blackwood-Kapral sold 3,017 shares of Maplebear stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total value of $142,040.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,715 shares in the company, valued at $1,775,622.20. This represents a 7.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 309,928 shares of company stock worth $16,121,073. Company insiders own 24.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. bought a new stake in Maplebear during the third quarter worth $601,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Maplebear in the 3rd quarter valued at about $87,000. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Maplebear in the 3rd quarter valued at about $716,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its stake in Maplebear by 16.9% in the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 97,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,206,000 after purchasing an additional 14,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Maplebear by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 8,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares during the last quarter. 63.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.