DoorDash Inc. (NASDAQ:DASH) is one of the best upside stocks to invest in right now. On February 2, UBS analyst Stephen Ju raised the firm’s price target on DoorDash to $245 from $241 and maintained a Neutral rating. However, on January 29, Guggenheim lowered its price target on DoorDash to $275 from $280 while keeping a Buy rating ahead of the company’s Q4 2025 earnings report. The firm adjusted the target to account for expected investment impacts extending into 2027. Additionally, Stifel lowered its ...

Core Insights - Instacart's stock price increased by over 9% following a positive growth forecast, reflecting strong consumer resonance with its offerings [1] Group 1: Financial Performance - Instacart's gross transaction volume (GTV) rose 14% year over year to $9.9 billion in Q4, leading to a 13% increase in transaction revenue to $698 million [3] - Total revenue for Instacart increased by 12% to $992 million, with advertising and other revenue rising 10% to $294 million [6] - Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) surged 20% to $303 million [6] Group 2: Market Position and Strategy - The marketplace now features 2,200 retail brands and nearly 100,000 store locations, with many orders delivered in as little as 30 minutes [4] - The company aims to enhance customer experience by focusing on selection, convenience, quality, and affordability, as stated by CEO Chris Rogers [3] Group 3: Future Outlook - Instacart anticipates GTV growth of 11% to 13% to approximately $10.2 billion in Q1, with adjusted EBITDA projected to increase by 15% to 19% to around $285 million [7] - The company is committed to building on its current momentum to achieve sustainable, profitable growth in the long term [7]

Core Viewpoint - Delivery Hero's shares declined following Talabat's 2026 guidance, which indicated a focus on market share over profit, leading to investor disappointment [2][3]. Financial Performance - Talabat expects adjusted EBITDA of approximately $510 million to $540 million for 2026, which is below market consensus [3]. - Projected adjusted EBITDA margins are set to decrease to 4.4% to 4.8%, down from 6.5% in 2025 [4]. Growth Projections - Talabat anticipates GMV growth of 11% to 14% and revenue growth of 14% to 17%, driven by quick commerce and subscription expansion [4]. Investment Strategy - Talabat plans to invest around $150 million in 2026, with $100 million allocated for scaling dark stores and loyalty programs, and $50 million for the core food segment [5]. Competitive Landscape - The company faces increasing competition in the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait, along with potential regulatory interventions to address below-cost pricing [5]. Market Sentiment - The increased spending and reduced margins overshadowed otherwise stable quarterly results, prompting investors to reassess the company's cash generation potential [6]. - Talabat has been viewed as a strong performer within Delivery Hero's portfolio, which consists of diverse markets with varying competitive dynamics [7]. Industry Context - The food delivery sector has a history of "invest now, profit later" strategies, which have led to subsidy wars and margin pressures [10].

Core Viewpoint - Instacart's stock increased by over 14% following strong earnings results, which eased concerns about competitive pressures in the grocery delivery sector [1] Group 1: Company Performance - CEO Chris Rogers described competitive concerns as "overblown" and emphasized that the company closely monitors threats [1] - Instacart is investing in new technology and artificial intelligence tools to attract more customers and businesses to its platform [2] Group 2: Market Competition - The grocery delivery market is becoming increasingly competitive with major players like Amazon, Uber Eats, and DoorDash expanding their services [2] - Wall Street analysts viewed Instacart's results as a positive signal for the company's competitive position, with Bernstein calling the report a "solid rebuttal" to competitive pressures [3] - Analysts at Barclays noted that the company's performance was a rare "clean beat-and-raise" in the current internet earnings cycle, highlighting its distinctiveness [3]

Core Insights - Maplebear (CART) reported $992 million in revenue for Q4 2025, marking a year-over-year increase of 12.3% and exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.34% [1] - The earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was $0.53, consistent with the previous year and surpassing the consensus estimate by 1.65% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - The company recorded 89.5 million orders, exceeding the average estimate of 87.09 million by analysts [4] - Gross Transaction Value (GTV) reached $9.85 billion, surpassing the estimated $9.53 billion [4] - Revenue from advertising and other sources was $294 million, above the average estimate of $287.16 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 10.1% [4] - Transaction revenue amounted to $698 million, exceeding the estimated $680.48 million, with a year-over-year growth of 13.3% [4] Stock Performance - Over the past month, Maplebear's shares have declined by 19.4%, while the Zacks S&P 500 composite experienced a minor decline of 0.3% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), suggesting it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Insights - The food-delivery platform, also known as Maplebear, reported a net income of $81 million, which translates to 30 cents per share, indicating a decline from the previous year's net income of $148 million, or 53 cents per share [1] Financial Performance - The company's net income decreased by 45% year-over-year, from $148 million to $81 million [1] - Earnings per share also fell by 43% from 53 cents to 30 cents [1]

Core Insights - The company reported a full-year revenue forecast of $4.04 billion to $4.1 billion, slightly below analyst expectations, indicating a conservative outlook for 2026 [1] - The company achieved 50 million monthly transacting users and over $500 million in adjusted EBITDA, marking its first year of net profit [2] - A long-term revenue growth guidance of 20% from 2025 to 2028 was provided, emphasizing a focus on profitability [3] Financial Performance - The company’s rides and deliveries business continues to grow, with grocery delivery growing 1.7 times faster than the food business [4][5] - The loan portfolio has surpassed $1 billion, with expectations to double by the end of 2026 [6] - A $500 million stock buyback program was announced, alongside a new $400 million buyback program [6][8] Strategic Initiatives - The acquisition of Stash, a financial services and investing platform, aims to enhance the product portfolio and democratize investing [8][11] - The company is cautious about capital allocation, balancing organic growth with potential M&A opportunities [7][8] Market Position and Growth - The company is piloting autonomous vehicles in Singapore, with plans to commercialize them in the coming months [13][14] - Demand for on-demand services grew by 21%, with the number of rides increasing by 27% year-over-year [16] - The company expanded its presence to over 900 cities in Southeast Asia, adding 400 cities in the last four years [17][18]

Core Insights - Alibaba is committed to investing heavily in Taobao Flash Purchase, with no concerns about losses for the next three years, as part of a strategic push in the instant retail sector [1][21][22] Investment Strategy - The management has set a goal for 2026 to increase investment in Taobao Flash Purchase beyond the previous year, focusing on instant retail [2][22] - The emphasis is on high-value orders over 30 yuan and improving operational efficiency in delivery [3][23] Market Positioning - As of now, Meituan holds over 50% market share in the food delivery sector, while Taobao Flash Purchase has around 40%, with JD.com below 5% [6][26] - The strategy has shifted from merely increasing order volume to enhancing the quality of orders, aiming for 60% of orders to be above 30 yuan [6][26] Competitive Dynamics - The competition is intensifying, with both Taobao Flash Purchase and Meituan focusing on delivery efficiency and rider availability [7][27] - Taobao Flash Purchase has improved its delivery times in southern cities, surpassing Meituan in areas like Guangzhou and Shenzhen [8][28] Infrastructure Development - Instant retail requires long-term investment and is currently in the warehouse construction phase, with a focus on high-demand categories like pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and fresh produce [10][30] - Alibaba is building multiple delivery warehouses to support instant retail, including around 200 front warehouses and plans for additional ones [33] User Engagement and AI Integration - The launch of the AI assistant Qianwen has accelerated the push for Taobao Flash Purchase, with significant investments aimed at cultivating consumer habits in using AI for shopping [17][36] - The app saw a surge in daily active users, reaching approximately 7.5 million shortly after a promotional campaign [19][37] Future Outlook - The company is exploring various scenarios for in-store business and aims to capture a larger market share from Meituan by summer 2026 [3][23] - The integration of instant retail with Alibaba's main e-commerce platform is expected to enhance visibility and drive traffic to Taobao Flash Purchase [12][31]

Q4 2025 Earnings Supplemental Data February 2026 190 250 199 0 177 79 0 104 80 Disclaimer Non - IFRS Financial Measures This document and the investor webcast include references to non - IFRS financial measures, which include : Adjusted EBITDA, Segment Adjusted EBITDA, Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin, Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Free Cash Flow, gross cash liquidity and net cash liquidity . Grab uses Adjusted EBITDA, Segment Adjusted EBITDA, Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin, ...

Core Insights - Uber Eats has launched a new AI feature called "Cart Assistant" aimed at simplifying the grocery shopping experience for users [1][3] - The feature allows customers to enter a shopping list or upload an image, which the AI will use to populate their grocery cart automatically [2] - Cart Assistant personalizes the shopping experience by prioritizing familiar items based on previous orders, enhancing user convenience [3] Feature Details - Users can initiate the Cart Assistant by selecting a grocery store within the Uber Eats app and tapping the designated icon [1] - The AI can process various input formats, including handwritten lists and recipe screenshots, to add items to the cart [2] - Customers have the option to customize their cart by changing brands or adding additional products [2] Competitive Landscape - The introduction of Cart Assistant positions Uber Eats to better compete with other grocery and food delivery services that are also integrating AI technologies [3] - Competitors like Instacart and DoorDash have already implemented AI tools to enhance user experience, such as personalized shopping recommendations and meal planning features [5][6] - Uber Eats is actively investing in AI across various functionalities, including tools for merchants to improve menu descriptions and customer engagement [8]