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

Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Zacks reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Maplebear from $55.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Maplebear from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Maplebear from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $56.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Maplebear from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $58.33.

Maplebear Stock Performance

Shares of Maplebear stock opened at $56.45 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a PE ratio of 29.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.87. Maplebear has a 52-week low of $32.73 and a 52-week high of $62.00.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.60 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Maplebear will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Morgan Fong sold 18,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $27,025,461. The trade was a 3.35% 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 309,928 shares of company stock worth $16,121,073. 24.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Maplebear by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Maplebear by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 290 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of Maplebear by 91.5% during 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 period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Maplebear by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.