This pandemic star has stumbled

Article Excerpt

MAPLEBEAR INC. $25 is a hold. The company, (Nasdaq symbol CART; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 280.2 million; Market cap: $7.0 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Lowest; www.instacart.com), does business as Instacart, operating an online grocery delivery and pick-up service in the U.S. and Canada. It has partnerships with 1,400 retail banners, comprising 80,000 stores. On September 18, 2023, the company completed an initial public offering of 22.0 million shares at $30.00 a share for gross proceeds of $660.0 million. Insiders still control about 40% of the shares. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Instacart’s volumes soared. However, volumes are now slowing as cost-conscious shoppers place fewer orders to avoid paying rising delivery fees. As a result, the stock is down 17% from the IPO price. Maplebear is a hold. hold…