Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Price Target Lowered to $13.00 at BTIG Research

Posted by Shane Hupp on Feb 27th, 2026

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS – Free Report) had its price objective decreased by BTIG Research from $17.00 to $13.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. BTIG Research currently has a buy rating on the stock.

CARS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Cars.com in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Cars.com from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of Cars.com in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.08.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Cars.com

Cars.com Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:CARS opened at $8.83 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $11.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.82. The company has a market capitalization of $527.88 million, a PE ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 1.46. Cars.com has a 1 year low of $8.86 and a 1 year high of $13.97.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.12). Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 4.16%.The firm had revenue of $183.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $183.44 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Cars.com will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Cars.com

In other news, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 27,358 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.03, for a total value of $329,116.74. Following the transaction, the insider owned 71,103 shares in the company, valued at $855,369.09. This represents a 27.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Sonia Jain sold 11,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $153,330.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 243,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,276,984.90. The trade was a 4.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cars.com

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hill Path Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the second quarter worth $23,854,000. Brown Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Cars.com in the second quarter worth approximately $16,456,000. Par Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Cars.com during the 2nd quarter valued at $14,220,000. Breach Inlet Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the 4th quarter worth $8,899,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Cars.com by 112.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,127,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,751,000 after purchasing an additional 595,609 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

Cars.com News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cars.com this week:

Positive Sentiment: Recorded full-year revenue of $723M, generated $152M of operating cash flow, repurchased 7.1M shares for $86M (retiring ~9% of shares outstanding), and expanded dealer customers to ~19,544 — indicating strong cash generation and shareholder-friendly capital allocation. Cars.com Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a marketplace integration strategy and is advancing AI-powered solutions while expecting dealer revenue growth in 2026 — strategic initiatives that could improve monetization and product differentiation over time. Cars.com outlines marketplace integration and expects 2026 dealer revenue growth while advancing AI-powered solutions
Neutral Sentiment: Revenue for Q4 was $183.9M, essentially in line with consensus and up 1.9% year-over-year — the top line showed modest growth but not a clear reacceleration. Cars.com (CARS) Reports Q4 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say
Neutral Sentiment: For additional management commentary and color on execution, see the full earnings call transcript. Cars.com Inc. (CARS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Negative Sentiment: EPS missed: reported $0.44 vs. consensus $0.56, and fell from $0.49 a year ago — an earnings shortfall that pressures near-term sentiment. Cars.com (CARS) Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
Negative Sentiment: Forward revenue guidance came in below consensus: Q1 2026 revenue $179.0M–$180.8M vs. $183.4M expected, and FY 2026 revenue $723.2M–$737.7M vs. $735.1M consensus — plus limited EPS guidance, which increases short-term uncertainty. Cars.com: Q4 Earnings Snapshot / Press Release & Slides

About Cars.com

(Get Free Report)

Cars.com operates as a leading online automotive marketplace in the United States, connecting car shoppers with new and used vehicle listings from dealerships and private sellers. The platform enables consumers to research makes and models, compare prices, read expert and user reviews, and access tools such as TrueCost to estimate ownership expenses over time. Through its website and mobile applications, Cars.com aims to simplify the car-buying process by aggregating detailed vehicle data, payment calculators, and dealership ratings into a single user-friendly experience.

On the dealer side, Cars.com provides a suite of marketing and lead-generation services designed to help automotive retailers reach potential buyers and manage their online presence.