** Shares of online grocery delivery firm Instacart CART.O, formally known as Maplebear, down 9.8% premarket at $44, a 7-week low, after core profit forecast missed expectations

** Co late Tues said sees current qtr adj EBITDA - earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization - of $220-$230 mln, below LSEG estimate of $238 mln

** Q4 results were mixed: rev of $883 mln was below consensus of $891 mn, while adj EBITDA of $252 mln topped estimate of $235.5 mln and adj EPS of 56 cents beat by 15 cents

** But CART, which competes with DoorDash DASH.O and Uber UBER.N, said anticipates gross transaction value (GTV) of $9-$9.15 bln in Q1, surpassing analysts' expectations of $8.95 bln

** Jefferies maintained 'hold' rating ($46 PT), saying investments in affordability and marketing contributed to a disappointing EBITDA outlook

** A few brokerages reduce PTs: JP Morgan to $50 from $52, Wedbush to $46 from $48, Mizuho to $52 from $55. On the flip side, Morgan Stanley raises PT to $45 from $44

** Avg rating among 33 brokerages covering CART is "buy" and median PT is $54, LSEG data shows

** CART shares, which have fallen past four sessions, still up 17.8% YTD vs Nasdaq's .IXIC 1.5% decline through Tues. Stock touched record intra-day high of $53.44 last Weds

(Lance Tupper is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

((lance.tupper@tr.com 1-646-279-6380))