Thesis

Street consensus, scenarios, merits, risks, and invalidation triggers

AI-assisted
Thesis Summary

Maplebear entered the second half of 2026 with broad operating momentum: Q2 GTV and revenue each increased 14% year over year, advertising and other revenue increased 16%, and adjusted EBITDA increased 19%. Free cash flow also strengthened, supporting continued repurchases. The balanced Hold recommendation reflects these favorable operating trends against margin compression, lower year-over-year GAAP net income, execution and regulatory risks.

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This section is the 12-month view: analyst targets and the probability-weighted scenarios built from them. The intrinsic value at the top of this page answers a different question: what the business is worth today.
Street view · analyst 12-month targets27 analysts · as of 18 Aug 2026
Low · most bearish analyst$40.00
Mean target$57.00
High · most bullish analyst$77.00
Our research · scenarios, merits, risks, and invalidation triggersResearch as of 2 Sep 2026
Scenarios · 12-month scenario targetsAnchored at research date
Bear CaseDownside scenario
$40.0018%

The bear case assumes GTV or adjusted EBITDA falls below the lower end of Q3 guidance as competitive, regulatory or customer-engagement pressures offset marketplace and advertising momentum.

Base CaseCentral scenario
$57.0059%
Matches the consensus mean

The base case assumes Q3 GTV and adjusted EBITDA remain within management's respective $10.30-$10.55 billion and $320-$340 million guidance ranges, while advertising continues to outgrow GTV and reinvestment moderates the pace of EBITDA expansion.

Bull CaseUpside scenario
$77.0023%

The bull case assumes GTV and adjusted EBITDA reach or exceed the upper ends of Q3 guidance as customer growth, enterprise-technology adoption, advertising expansion, AI integrations and retailer partnerships reinforce one another.

Scenarios are anchored to street consensus at the research date, with our probabilities and rationale.

Key Investment Merits
  • Q2 2026 GTV and total revenue each grew 14% year over year, indicating broad marketplace momentum.
  • Advertising and other revenue grew 16%, while adjusted EBITDA grew 19% to $313 million.
  • Q2 free cash flow reached $480 million, and the company repurchased $325 million of shares during the quarter.
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Key Investment Risks
  • Q2 GAAP net income declined 4% year over year despite double-digit GTV and revenue growth.
  • Q2 GAAP gross margin declined to 72% from 74% in the prior-year quarter.
  • Management identifies competition, legal and regulatory developments, customer and partner engagement, and macroeconomic uncertainty as factors that could cause outcomes to differ from expectations.
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All scenarios are estimates and subject to change. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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AI-assisted, source-linked narrative; figures from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market data. Dates shown per section. Not investment advice. Terms of Use.