Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday after Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on the stock from $50.00 to $55.00. The stock had previously closed at $33.24, but opened at $38.00. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock. Maplebear shares last traded at $38.8040, with a volume of 5,101,771 shares traded.

CART has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Maplebear from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Maplebear from $65.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Maplebear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Benchmark cut their target price on Maplebear from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Maplebear in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $41.00 target price for the company. Fifteen 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Morgan Fong sold 4,914 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.21, for a total value of $222,161.94. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 404,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,307,337.40. This trade represents a 1.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 26.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Maplebear News

Here are the key news stories impacting Maplebear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported record GTV growth and highlighted strategic momentum in its enterprise and advertising businesses; management issued upbeat near?term commentary that helped the revenue/guidance story. Maplebear Inc (CART) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: Needham raised its price target to $55 and reiterated a Buy rating, implying material upside vs. current levels—supportive for longer?term sentiment. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings presentation and call transcript are available for deeper read?through of guidance, GTV details and metric definitions (useful for modeling). Seeking Alpha: Q4 Results – Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed financials: revenue accelerated (~$992M, ~+12% Y/Y) but EPS and net profit fell materially (diluted EPS ~$0.30 vs. consensus ~ $0.52), pressuring near?term profitability narratives. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and sentiment hits: coverage shifts have weighed on the stock and one report flagged a new 12?month low after a downgrade — adds downside risk until clarity on margin recovery. AmericanBankingNews: Hits New 12-Month Low
• Negative Sentiment: Ownership trends: notable insider sales and large institutional rebalancings were highlighted in coverage; some big funds trimmed positions in recent quarters — monitor flows and block trades for further pressure. QuiverQuant: Stock Reaction & Ownership

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maplebear

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CART. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Maplebear by 78.6% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 884 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Maplebear by 35.7% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 928 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Maplebear in the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Maplebear by 761.3% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Maplebear by 212.7% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. 63.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Maplebear Stock Up 15.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $10.04 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.92.

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 15.72%. The firm had revenue of $939.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $933.76 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Maplebear Inc. will post 1.43 EPS for the current 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.