Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Downgraded by Barclays to "Equal Weight"

Key Points

• Barclays downgraded Maplebear from “overweight” to “equal weight” and cut its price target from $77 to $65, implying 13.82% upside from the reported current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 11 Buy and 9 Hold ratings and an average “Moderate Buy” rating; the average price target is $57.94.
• Maplebear’s latest quarter showed revenue of $1.09 billion, above estimates, while EPS of $0.60 missed expectations. The proposed DoorDash acquisition offers potential strategic benefits but faces regulatory, shareholder-approval, and closing risks.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Barclays from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $65.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $77.00. Barclays's price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.82% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Maplebear from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on shares of Maplebear from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Maplebear from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Maplebear from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Maplebear from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.94.

Maplebear Stock Down 2.2%

CART stock opened at $57.11 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.23. The company has a market cap of $13.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.21, a PEG ratio of 1.15 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 20.19% and a net margin of 11.97%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Maplebear will post 2.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Maplebear

In related news, CAO Lisa Blackwood-Kapral sold 3,017 shares of the 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 owned 37,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,775,622.20. This trade represents a 7.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Chris Rogers sold 24,665 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $1,479,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 867,911 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,074,660. This trade represents a 2.76% decrease in their position. 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 309,928 shares of company stock valued at $16,121,073 in the last three months. Company insiders own 24.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maplebear

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new position in Maplebear in the third quarter valued at about $601,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Maplebear during the third quarter worth $87,000. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Maplebear during the third quarter worth $716,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al boosted its position in shares of Maplebear by 16.9% during the third quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 97,550 shares of the company's stock worth $4,206,000 after purchasing an additional 14,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 592 shares during the period. 63.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Maplebear

Here are the key news stories impacting Maplebear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DoorDash agreed to acquire Maplebear in a transaction combining a major restaurant-delivery platform with the leading U.S. grocery-delivery service. The deal could create operating efficiencies, broaden customer reach, and strengthen DoorDash’s position against Amazon and Walmart. The official announcement describes approximately $17 billion in equity value, while some reports refer to the deal as $16 billion. DoorDash to acquire Instacart for $17B
• Positive Sentiment: Instacart’s third-quarter operating results showed continued momentum ahead of the acquisition: gross transaction volume increased 15% year over year, revenue rose 17%, adjusted EBITDA climbed 23% to $342 million, and GAAP net income reached $147 million. Instacart Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: The transaction is not expected to close until late 2027 or the first half of 2028. Consequently, CART may trade below the $65 consideration value as investors weigh regulatory, shareholder-approval, financing, and closing risks.
• Neutral Sentiment: Maplebear reported third-quarter EPS of $0.60, below the roughly $0.63–$0.64 consensus estimate, but revenue of about $1.09 billion exceeded expectations near $1.07 billion. EPS improved from $0.42 a year earlier, tempering the earnings miss. Maplebear Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms are investigating whether Maplebear’s board obtained a fair price and properly handled potential conflicts or competing offers. Separately, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the merger over possible higher consumer prices and worse worker conditions, highlighting potential antitrust and regulatory scrutiny.

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.

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