Shares of Maplebear (NASDAQ: CART), the company better known as Instacart, were moving higher today after the company topped revenue estimates in the second quarter and issued a strong outlook.
As of 11:05 a.m. ET, the stock was up 11.9% on the news.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Instacart said gross transaction value rose 14% to $10.35 billion, with orders up 9% to 90.3 million. Revenue rose 14% to $1.043 billion, which was ahead of the consensus at $1.03 billion.
That was made up of transaction revenue of $746 million, up 13%, and advertising and other revenue of $297 million, which was up 16% in the quarter.
On the bottom line, growth was solid as well, with adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) up 19% to $313 million. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) earnings per share rose from $0.41 to $0.45, primarily driven by recent share buybacks, but that was short of the consensus at $0.54. Stock-based compensation also rose by $37 million, weighing on GAAP profits.
CEO Chris Rogers said, "Our business is performing incredibly well. We've meaningfully accelerated our growth over the past three quarters, including a strong Q2 where we grew GTV 14%."
Instacart still has a lot of levers to pull to drive growth, including expanding retail partnerships and product selection, and growing its advertising business.
During the third quarter, which is seasonally weak for the grocery industry, Instacart expects GTV of $10.3 billion-$10.55 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $320 million-$340 million, which represents 14% and 19% growth, respectively. That was ahead of analyst expectations at $10.29 billion in GTV and $318.6 million in adjusted EBITDA.
The company also acquired a computer vision company in the quarter, Arpalus, showing it's making investments in technology to drive margin improvement and stay ahead of the competition.
Overall, Instacart is delivering accelerating growth, beating estimates, and tackling a large addressable market. As delivery demand grows, the stock looks poised to be a winner.
Before you buy stock in Instacart, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Instacart wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $397,405!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,344,091!*
Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 953% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 7, 2026.
Jeremy Bowman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Instacart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Why Instacart Stock Popped Today was originally published by The Motley Fool