Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $52.2083.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Maplebear from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Maplebear from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Maplebear from $41.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Maplebear in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Maplebear in a report on Monday.

Insider Activity at Maplebear

In other news, General Counsel Morgan Fong sold 4,914 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.21, for a total transaction of $222,161.94. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 404,940 shares in the company, valued at $18,307,337.40. This trade 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 is available through this link. Also, Director Fidji Simo sold 1,014 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $40,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 569,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,789,680. The trade was a 0.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 12,525 shares of company stock valued at $521,304 over the last ninety days. 26.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Maplebear

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in Maplebear in the second quarter valued at approximately $169,782,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Maplebear in the 2nd quarter valued at $151,364,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Maplebear during the 3rd quarter valued at $90,167,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Maplebear during the 2nd quarter worth $97,351,000. Finally, Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Maplebear by 93.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,961,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,261,000 after buying an additional 1,911,771 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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: Investors shrugged off the pricing controversy and the stock rebounded on views that the issue is a near-term headwind rather than a long-term business threat; market commentary emphasizes Instacart’s growth potential and margin outlook as reasons for the bounce. Instacart’s Pricing Tests Spark Backlash… But Investors Didn’t Care
• Neutral Sentiment: Maplebear announced it will stop all AI-driven item price tests after reports showed price discrepancies for identical items; stopping the program reduces regulatory and reputational risk but could limit a potential revenue/optimization lever. Instacart ends AI-driven price experiments after criticism (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — General Counsel Morgan Fong sold 4,914 shares at ~$45.21, reducing ownership by ~1.20% for that holder; the sale is disclosed in an SEC filing and may be viewed negatively by some investors, though the size is modest relative to total insider holdings. SEC Form 4 — Insider Sale

Maplebear Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of CART opened at $45.03 on Wednesday. Maplebear has a 12-month low of $34.78 and a 12-month high of $53.50. The stock has a market cap of $11.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.74, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $40.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.51.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. Maplebear had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 15.72%. The business had revenue of $939.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $933.76 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Maplebear will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Maplebear Company Profile

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.