Strategic Partnership And Strong Earnings Boost Maplebear (CART) Stock

Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:

) is one of the 12 best mid cap AI stocks to buy according to hedge funds . On February 12, Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) reported Q4 earnings and easily beat Wall Street revenue estimates, with shares rising more than 13% after the announcement. The revenue of $992 million was $18 million above consensus estimates, while the EPS of $0.3 fell below expectations of $0.52. During the quarter, the firm also repurchased $1.1 billion in shares.

On February 10, Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) entered into a strategic partnership with Toast (NYSE:TOST), a comprehensive digital platform serving the hospitality industry. The partnership is aimed at expanding its presence among U.S. restaurants and retailers. The agreement will allow Toast’s retail customers to connect their in-store inventory directly to the Instacart marketplace. This will help create new sales opportunities and expand their online reach. By integrating SKU data and inventory systems, Instacart intends to keep online product availability closely aligned with the store stock and enhance catalog accuracy.

The partnership also strengthens Maplebear Inc.’s (NASDAQ:CART) business, its B2B same-day delivery platform, which will serve as a supply partner for Toast-powered restaurants. Operators can order essential items, such as fresh ingredients and pantry staples, with delivery within an hour. Additionally, a pilot launch is planned early this year, followed by a nationwide rollout expected later in 2026.

Ryan Hamburger, Vice President of Commercial Partnerships at Instacart, commented:

”This partnership brings together two platforms that play complementary roles in how retailers and restaurants operate and grow. We’re looking forward to expanding our breadth of retailers by welcoming Toast’s retail partners to the Instacart Marketplace and giving Toast restaurants access to our marketplace via Instacart Business for a fast and flexible way to source produce and other essentials to meet last-minute needs.”

Separately, Benchmark lowered its price target on Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) on the same day. Analyst Mark Zgutowicz of Benchmark reaffirmed his Buy rating on the stock while lowering the firm’s price target from $60 to $53. Despite reducing its price target, the firm still holds a favorable outlook.

Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ:CART) operates as Instacart. It provides online grocery shopping services to households across North America. The company offers its services through its website and mobile application. In addition to grocery shopping services, it also provides software-as-a-service solutions and advertising services. Maplebear is based in San Francisco, California.

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