Corrects paragraph 6 to say "costs and expenses for the third quarter rose about 23% to $3.19 billion from a year ago", not "costs and expenses for the third quarter rose about 23% to $3.19 billion a year ago"

Nov 6 (Reuters) - DoorDash DASH.O shares dropped nearly 9% in premarket trading on Thursday as the company's aggressive plan to invest several hundred million dollars more in 2026 in the face of cost pressures unnerved investors.

The San Francisco-based company also missed Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit due to rising expenses.

DoorDash has ramped up investments on partnerships - including with Domino's Pizza DPZ.N, retailer Kroger KR.N and robotics firm Serve Robotics SERV.O - as it broadens its last-mile delivery offerings to reach a wider customer base.

J.P.Morgan analysts said the sell-off in the shares was due to its investment plan.

"Incremental investments create near-term margin pressure," the analysts said.

The company, whose shares have gained about 42% so far this year, said total costs and expenses for the third quarter rose about 23% to $3.19 billion from a year ago.

These partnerships, however, helped the company beat quarterly revenue estimates and forecast fourth-quarter gross merchandise value above Wall Street expectations.

However, some analysts pointed that the additional investments should not come as a 'surprise', given the company's history of aggressive investing and delivering returns.

"We don't view these investments to come as a change in investment philosophy as DoorDash is taking the profit pool in its core US restaurant business and Deliveroo and re-investing in growth," Morgan Stanley noted.

Earlier this year, DoorDash acquired British rival Deliveroo ROO.L in a $3.9 billion deal.

(Reporting by Joel Jose in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)

((JoelJose@thomsonreuters.com;))