Maplebear (CART), which operates Instacart, is back in focus after Academy Sports + Outdoors joined its Marketplace, adding same day delivery from more than 300 sporting goods stores across 21 states.

The Academy Sports + Outdoors partnership arrives while Maplebear’s share price has risen 18.05% over the past 30 days and 20.89% over the past 90 days, with a 1 year total shareholder return of 14.90%, suggesting momentum is building from a relatively recent base.

If Instacart’s progress has you thinking about where else growth stories could emerge, it may be worth scanning 76 profitable AI stocks that aren't just burning cash.

With Maplebear shares already up double digits in recent months and fresh partnership news in play, deciding whether to step in at today’s price or wait for a lower entry now comes down to what the current valuation actually implies.

Most Popular Narrative: 12.6% Undervalued

Based on the most followed narrative, Maplebear’s fair value of $57 sits above the last close at $49.83, which puts fresh attention on the company’s long term earnings story.

Deepening enterprise partnerships and a growing suite of omnichannel retailer integrations (such as Storefront, Carrot Ads, Caper Carts, Carrot Tags) are increasing stickiness with major retail chains, creating new recurring revenue streams and driving higher-margin, non-transaction-based revenues (e.g., advertising, in-store tech). This is making the business model less volatile and supporting sustainable margin expansion and earnings resilience.

Want to see what sits behind that 12.6% discount and $57 fair value for Maplebear? The narrative leans heavily on future revenue growth, rising margins and a specific profit multiple that has to hold for years. The exact mix of those assumptions may surprise you.

Result: Fair Value of $57 (UNDERVALUED)

However, there are still clear risks to the Maplebear story, including rising labor and regulatory costs, as well as tougher competition that could pressure margins and order volumes.

Next Steps

Given the mix of optimism and caution around Maplebear, it makes sense to move quickly and review the underlying data yourself. To weigh both sides of the story in one place, start with the 2 key rewards and 1 important warning sign.

Looking for more investment ideas beyond Maplebear?

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.