Maplebear Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:CART)

Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 27,162 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 247% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,826 call options.

Maplebear Stock Performance

Shares of CART stock traded up $3.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $36.33. The company had a trading volume of 10,061,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,621,946. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $41.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.92. Maplebear has a one year low of $32.73 and a one year high of $53.50. The firm has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.00.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. Maplebear had a return on equity of 15.72% and a net margin of 14.09%.The business had revenue of $939.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $933.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Maplebear will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus initiated coverage on shares of Maplebear in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Maplebear from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Maplebear from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised Maplebear from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of Maplebear from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Maplebear has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Maplebear news, General Counsel Morgan Fong sold 4,914 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.21, for a total value of $222,161.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 404,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,307,337.40. This represents a 1.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 26.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maplebear

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Maplebear by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,461,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $245,664,000 after buying an additional 54,872 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Maplebear by 93.3% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,961,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $179,261,000 after acquiring an additional 1,911,771 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Maplebear by 114.7% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,792,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,594,000 after buying an additional 2,026,567 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in Maplebear in the second quarter valued at approximately $169,782,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Maplebear by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,526,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,640,000 after acquiring an additional 54,010 shares in the last quarter. 63.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Maplebear

Here are the key news stories impacting Maplebear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Instacart/Maplebear issued an upbeat forecast and guidance that eased competition concerns, driving strong buying interest. Instacart shares soar as upbeat forecast tempers competition fears
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 volume metrics were robust — gross transaction value and orders saw double-digit growth, cited as the strongest quarterly volume in three years. This underpins revenue momentum and advertising strength. Instacart shares surge after strong Q4 volume
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $55 and kept a buy rating, signaling bullish analyst conviction around growth/recovery potential. Needham raises Maplebear price target to $55
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue beat/was roughly in line — Q4 revenue ~$992M (up ~12% YoY) — showing demand resilience even as underlying margin mix shifts. Maplebear Q4 earnings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Company filings and the investor slide deck / earnings call are available for detail on guidance, GTV, and advertising trends (useful for model updates). View Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: EPS and profitability disappointed: diluted EPS missed estimates and net income/operating profit declined significantly year-over-year, which tempers the bullish case on near-term earnings. Maplebear stock rises on Q4 2025 earnings (detailed metrics)
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $43 and moved to an “equal weight” view, reducing near-term upside in some analyst models. Wells Fargo lowers Maplebear target to $43
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets note lowered expectations/analyst downgrades that pushed the stock to new 12‑month lows before the rebound — increased analyst dispersion raises short-term volatility. Maplebear hits new 12-month low after analyst downgrade

About Maplebear

Maplebear, Inc, doing business as Instacart, operates a leading online grocery and essentials marketplace that connects consumers, retail partners and personal shoppers through its digital platform. The company enables customers to order groceries, household items and specialty products for same-day or scheduled delivery, as well as in-store pickup. By integrating its technology with retailers’ existing inventory and point-of-sale systems, Maplebear streamlines the shopping experience and provides real-time availability and pricing.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, Maplebear has grown from a regional startup to a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ under the ticker CART.