Instacart Surpasses Q4 Estimates with Strong Guidance
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 hour ago
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Should l Buy CART?
Source: Newsfilter
- Strong Performance: Instacart reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue with gross transaction value (GTV) growing 14%, marking its strongest quarterly growth in three years, indicating robust growth potential in a competitive market.
- Record Order Volume: Total orders reached 89.5 million, surpassing the StreetAccount estimate of 87.8 million, demonstrating Instacart's success in attracting customers and further solidifying its market position.
- Optimistic Guidance: The company forecasts GTV between $10.13 billion and $10.28 billion, significantly above the $9.97 billion estimate, reflecting management's confidence in future growth.
- Technology Investment Drive: Instacart is actively investing in new technologies and AI tools to enhance customer engagement and attract more users, with the CEO stating that concerns over competitive pressures are
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Analyst Views on CART
Wall Street analysts forecast CART stock price to rise
22 Analyst Rating
13 Buy
8 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 33.240
Low
40.00
Averages
51.62
High
66.00
Current: 33.240
Low
40.00
Averages
51.62
High
66.00
About CART
Maplebear Inc., doing business as Instacart, is a grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The Company partners with more than 1,800 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 100,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands - from category leaders to emerging brands - partner with the Company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. The Company, through its Instacart Health, provides tools to increase nutrition security and make healthy choices easier for consumers.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Stock Performance: Maple Bear shares increased by 17% following positive forecasts.
Q1 Results: The company reported strong results for the first quarter, contributing to the upbeat outlook for the fourth quarter.
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- Performance Growth Highlight: Maplebear Inc (NASDAQ:CART) reported its strongest GTV growth in three years with a 14% year-over-year increase, primarily driven by a 16% rise in orders, indicating robust market demand and potential for further market share expansion.
- Share Buyback Confidence: The company successfully repurchased $1.1 billion worth of shares in Q4, demonstrating strong confidence in its business performance, which not only enhances investor trust but may also positively impact stock prices.
- AI Execution Acceleration: Maplebear Inc is leveraging AI to boost average output per engineer by nearly 40% and accelerate new project development four times faster, a strategy that will significantly enhance operational efficiency and market competitiveness.
- Advertising Ecosystem Expansion: Advertising revenue grew by 10% in Q4, with the number of advertising brands increasing from 7,000 to 9,000, showcasing the company's successful expansion in the advertising business, which is expected to support future performance despite ongoing macro uncertainties.
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- Revenue Growth: Instacart's total revenue for Q4 reached $992 million, marking a 12% year-over-year increase and surpassing analysts' expectations of $970 million, indicating the company's resilience in a competitive market.
- Divergent Analyst Ratings: Benchmark raised Instacart's price target to $55, while Wells Fargo lowered it to $43, reflecting mixed market sentiment regarding the company's future performance amid pressure from competitors like DoorDash and Uber.
- Positive Market Reaction: Following the release of strong Q4 earnings, Instacart's shares surged 14% on Friday, alleviating investor concerns about increasing competition and demonstrating market confidence in its performance.
- CEO's Perspective on Competition: Instacart CEO Chris Rogers stated during the earnings call that concerns about competition are
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- Market Pressure Intensifies: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.22% and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.23%, reflecting investor concerns about AI technologies potentially disrupting multiple sectors, leading to a depressed market sentiment and extending Thursday's sharp losses.
- Inflation Data Impact: The US January Consumer Price Index rose by 2.4% year-over-year, below the expected 2.5%, marking the smallest increase in seven months, which drove the 10-year Treasury yield down to a 2.25-month low of 4.05%, potentially prompting the Fed to continue cutting rates.
- Earnings Optimism: Over two-thirds of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings, with 76% exceeding expectations, and Q4 earnings growth is projected at 8.4%, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth, indicating resilience in corporate earnings.
- Tech Stocks Underperform: The so-called
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- Strong Performance: Instacart reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue with gross transaction value (GTV) growing 14%, marking its strongest quarterly growth in three years, indicating robust growth potential in a competitive market.
- Record Order Volume: Total orders reached 89.5 million, surpassing the StreetAccount estimate of 87.8 million, demonstrating Instacart's success in attracting customers and further solidifying its market position.
- Optimistic Guidance: The company forecasts GTV between $10.13 billion and $10.28 billion, significantly above the $9.97 billion estimate, reflecting management's confidence in future growth.
- Technology Investment Drive: Instacart is actively investing in new technologies and AI tools to enhance customer engagement and attract more users, with the CEO stating that concerns over competitive pressures are
See More
- Disappointing Earnings: Maplebear (Instacart) reported a Q4 2025 GAAP EPS of $0.30, missing expectations by $0.25, indicating pressure on profitability that could undermine investor confidence.
- Weak Revenue Growth: The company's Q4 revenue reached $992 million, reflecting a 12.3% year-over-year increase, yet it fell short of the $1.008 billion forecast, highlighting challenges from intensified market competition and slowing consumer spending.
- Cautious Future Outlook: For Q1 2026, Maplebear projects a gross transaction volume (GTV) between $10.125 billion and $10.275 billion, with adjusted EBITDA expectations of $280 million to $290 million, signaling a cautious stance on future growth.
- Limited Growth Potential: Although Instacart achieved double-digit growth across key metrics and anticipates an 11%-13% GTV increase for Q1 2026, persistent long-term market concerns may still impact its stock performance.
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