TLDR
- Instacart (CART) stock rose about 9% on Friday after reports that it is exploring a sale.
- The company is reportedly working with an investment bank and has held early talks with Uber and DoorDash.
- Instacart’s market value is just shy of $12 billion, and a 30% to 40% premium would put a deal near $17 billion.
- Revenue growth was 11% in both 2024 and 2025, but Q2 revenue rose 14% to $1 billion.
- Analysts hold a Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $58.38, about 3% above current levels.
Instacart (CART) stock closed about 9% higher on Friday, Oct. 23, after reports said the company is exploring a sale. The stock is up more than 25% this year, while DoorDash (DASH) is down more than 20%.
The Information reported that Instacart is working with an investment bank to weigh its options. Instacart declined to comment.
Other media reports say the company has held early talks with Uber (UBER) and DoorDash. No deal has been announced, and the talks are said to be preliminary.
Instacart is in talks to sell itself
Instacart has been working with an investment bank to weigh its options and held at least preliminary conversations with DoorDash $DASH and Uber $UBER – The Information pic.twitter.com/Kk9mhdLTnf
— Evan (@StockMKTNewz) October 23, 2026
Instacart, also known as Maplebear, has a market value just shy of $12 billion. A typical takeover premium of 30% to 40% would put its value at up to $17 billion.
Uber (UBER) fell about 3% on Friday, and DoorDash fell about 4%. Both are named as possible suitors.
Why a sale is on the table
Growth is part of the story. Instacart has posted annual revenue gains of more than 10% in recent years, and analysts expect that pace to hold through at least 2027.
There is a flip side. Revenue growth slowed to 11% in both 2024 and 2025, compared with 28% at DoorDash last year.
Still, the latest quarter looked better. Second-quarter revenue rose 14% from a year earlier to $1 billion, and free cash flow reached $480 million.
Earnings per share have been choppier lately. About half the analysts polled by FactSet rate the stock a buy or overweight.
Barron’s reported this past summer that Wolfe Research listed Instacart as a possible takeover target. The pick was based on its size and its past and expected sales growth.
Who might buy
Uber has the closer ties to Instacart. A partnership already lets customers order Uber Eats through the Instacart app.
Uber’s recent $14.8 billion purchase of Delivery Hero could complicate a bid, though. Any deal with Uber or DoorDash would likely face antitrust review because of overlap in grocery delivery.
DoorDash looked at buying Instacart in 2021, before Instacart went public. Those talks fell apart partly over regulatory worries.
Instacart has also been adding AI ordering options. It recently partnered with Meta’s Muse, and it announced a ChatGPT integration last December.
On Wall Street, 23 analysts give CART a Moderate Buy rating, with 13 Buy and 10 Hold calls. The average price target of $58.38 implies about 3% upside from current levels.
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