By Neil J Kanatt
May 6 (Reuters) - Instacart forecast second‑quarter gross transaction value largely above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, betting on strong demand for its online grocery delivery services.
The company, formally known as Maplebear, said it has seen steady demand from both budget‑conscious shoppers as well as higher‑income households seeking cheaper essentials and fast, convenient delivery.
Instacart was "seeing strength with the consumer" and has not seen anything "materially
change" in spending patterns so far despite macroeconomic uncertainty, including geopolitical conflicts, CEO Chris Rogers told Reuters.
"Things like higher oil prices can flow through the system, whether that's transportation, packaging, or eventually food costs," Rogers said, adding that this underpinned the company's focus on affordability.
For the current quarter, Instacart expects gross transaction value — a key metric that reflects the value of products sold based on prices shown on its platform — to be between $10.10 billion and $10.25 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $10.07 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
The company forecast adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $290 million to $300 million, broadly in line with the average analyst estimate of $298.8 million.
First-quarter gross transaction value rose 13% to $10.29 billion, beating estimates of $10.2 billion, while adjusted core profit climbed 23% to $300 million, topping analysts' expectation of $287.4 million.
Instacart's advertising business grew 16% to $286 million for the quarter ended March 31, compared with growth of 14% a year earlier.
Orders rose 10%, slowing from 16% growth a year earlier.
(Reporting by Neil J Kanatt in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
