BTIG Research Issues Positive Forecast for Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Stock Price

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) had its target price boosted by BTIG Research from $13.00 to $14.00 in a research note issued to investors 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $10.00 target price (down from $16.00) on shares of Cars.com in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Cars.com from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Zacks Research upgraded Cars.com from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Cars.com from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.67.

Cars.com Stock Performance

CARS traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $11.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 286,442 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,217,529. Cars.com has a fifty-two week low of $7.40 and a fifty-two week high of $13.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $667.62 million, a PE ratio of 35.89 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). Cars.com had a net margin of 2.77% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $180.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.16 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Cars.com will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC lifted its holdings in Cars.com by 36.7% during the 3rd quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 367,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,486,000 after buying an additional 98,559 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,673,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Cars.com by 143.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 531,486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,495,000 after acquiring an additional 313,128 shares during the last quarter. Hill Path Capital LP raised its position in shares of Cars.com by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hill Path Capital LP now owns 2,481,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,318,000 after acquiring an additional 468,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,496,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cars.com

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its 2026 share-repurchase cadence — repurchased $33M (3.8M shares) through April 30 and increased its full-year buyback target to $90M, supporting EPS/float tailwinds. Cars.com Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted EBITDA and cash flow beat operating guidance — adjusted EBITDA rose to $51.0M (28.3% margin) and operating cash flow improved to $39.8M, showing underlying profitability and cash generation strength. Cars.com Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $14 and kept a “buy” rating, offering analyst-driven upside that can support near-term buying interest. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue came in essentially in line with expectations at $180.22M (up ~1% YoY), so top-line growth neither disappoints nor excites relative to estimates. Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Reports Q1 CY2026 In Line With Expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued Q2 revenue guidance of roughly $178.7M–$182.3M (close to consensus), so near-term top-line outlook is modest and within expectations — EPS guidance was not clearly detailed in the release. Cars.com Q1 Slide Deck / Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed consensus: reported $0.45 vs. $0.48 expected — an earnings miss that can pressure short-term sentiment despite favorable cash/margin metrics. Cars.com (CARS) Misses Q1 Earnings Estimates

About Cars.com

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.