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Maplebear Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 October 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • GTV and orders both grew: GTV reached $10,528 million, up 15% year-over-year, and orders reached 91.4 million, up 10%. Source
  • Advertising revenue grew fastest: Advertising and other revenue reached $331 million, up 23%, outpacing total revenue growth of 17%. It was 3.1% of GTV, up from 2.9% in the second quarter release. Source
  • Gross margin fell to 72%: GAAP gross profit was $786 million, up 14%, equal to 72% of total revenue against 74% a year earlier, and 7.5% of GTV. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 23%: Adjusted EBITDA was $342 million, up 23%, equal to 31% of total revenue and 3.2% of GTV, against 30% and 3.0% a year earlier. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose 13%: Operating cash flow was $324 million, up 13%, and free cash flow was $307 million, up 13%, after $17 million of capital expenditure. Source
  • Quarterly buyback of $230 million: The company repurchased $230 million of shares in the quarter, against $325 million in the second quarter release, and ended with $1 billion in cash and similar assets. Source

“Q3 was our best quarter as a public company, with GTV up 15% year-over-year and advertising and other revenue up 23% year-over-year.”

Chris Rogers, CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
GTVQ3 2026$10,300 - $10,550 million; $10,425 million at the midpoint
Adjusted EBITDAQ3 2026$320 - $340 million; $330 million at the midpoint

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Instacart agreed to be acquired by DoorDash in a cash-and-stock deal with an equity value of about $17 billion. Source
  • Guidance withdrawn: Financial guidance is suspended and previously issued long-term guidance is withdrawn. Source
  • Ended: The earnings conference call scheduled for November 5, 2026 was cancelled. Source

Volume, revenue and advertising growth

  • GTV and orders both grew: GTV reached $10,528 million, up 15% year-over-year, and orders reached 91.4 million, up 10%. Source
  • Total and transaction revenue grew: Total revenue was $1,095 million, up 17%, or 10.4% of GTV. Transaction revenue was $764 million, up 14%, or 7.3% of GTV, against 7.2% in the second quarter release. Source
  • Advertising revenue grew fastest: Advertising and other revenue reached $331 million, up 23%, outpacing total revenue growth of 17%. It was 3.1% of GTV, up from 2.9% in the second quarter release. Source

Gross profit and operating costs

  • Gross margin fell to 72%: GAAP gross profit was $786 million, up 14%, equal to 72% of total revenue against 74% a year earlier, and 7.5% of GTV. Source
  • Adjusted cost of revenue edged up: Adjusted cost of revenue was $278 million, or 2.6% of GTV, against 2.5% a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses fell as share: Adjusted total operating expenses were $476 million, or 4.5% of GTV, against 4.8% a year earlier. Source
  • GAAP operating expenses rose: GAAP total operating expenses were $612 million, against $525 million a year earlier. Source
  • Stock-based compensation rose: Stock-based compensation expense was $120 million, against $82 million a year earlier, and is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. Source

“Our fundamentals keep getting stronger, with solid consumer demand, deepening customer engagement, and expanding profitability,”

Chris Rogers, CEO

Adjusted EBITDA and net income

  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 23%: Adjusted EBITDA was $342 million, up 23%, equal to 31% of total revenue and 3.2% of GTV, against 30% and 3.0% a year earlier. Source
  • GAAP net income rose 2%: GAAP net income was $147 million, up 2%, equal to 13% of total revenue against 15% a year earlier. Source
  • Diluted EPS rose to $0.60: Diluted EPS was $0.60, against $0.51 a year earlier. Basic EPS was $0.62, against $0.54. Source
  • Interest income fell sharply: Interest income was $6 million, against $16 million a year earlier. Income before taxes was $182 million and the tax provision was $34 million. Source
  • Legal reserve items excluded from EBITDA: Certain legal and regulatory reserve changes and settlements totalled $4 million and were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA, against $2 million a year earlier. Source

Cash flow and share repurchases

  • Operating cash flow rose 13%: Operating cash flow was $324 million, up 13%, and free cash flow was $307 million, up 13%, after $17 million of capital expenditure. Source
  • Quarterly buyback of $230 million: The company repurchased $230 million of shares in the quarter, against $325 million in the second quarter release, and ended with $1 billion in cash and similar assets. Source
  • Nine-month repurchases reached $921 million: The cash flow statement shows $921 million of common stock repurchases in the first nine months, against $272 million a year earlier. Source
  • Acquisition spending of $29 million: Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired, were $29 million in the quarter, against none a year earlier. Source

“Online grocery is still an underpenetrated category, and we’re in the early stages of realizing what our purpose-built grocery technology can do to transform it.”

Chris Rogers, CEO

Balance sheet and share count

  • Cash and equivalents rose: Cash and cash equivalents were $830 million at September 30, 2026, against $757 million at June 30, 2026 in the second quarter release. Source
  • Diluted share count fell: Diluted weighted-average shares were 247.6 million in the quarter, against 283.2 million a year earlier. Source
  • Series A preferred stock now nil: The Series A redeemable convertible preferred stock balance was nil at September 30, 2026, against $200 million at June 30, 2026. Source

Nine-month results

  • Nine-month revenue rose: Revenue for the first nine months was $3,157 million, against $2,750 million a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month net income higher: Net income for the nine months was $403 million, against $366 million a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month operating cash flow higher: Operating cash flow for the nine months was $1,085 million, against $788 million a year earlier. Source

In management's words

“That’s why we’re building the operating system for grocery: one integrated platform that powers ecommerce, fulfillment, in-store, retail media, and AI Solutions.”

Chris Rogers, CEO

Figures management reported

FigureReported
GTV Source$10,528 million, up 15% year-over-year
Orders Source91.4 million, up 10% year-over-year
Retail banners partnered SourceMore than 2,200 banners, nearly 100,000 stores

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: Legal and regulatory reserve changes tied to worker classification, policy and intellectual property matters are unpredictable in magnitude and timing. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.