Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Given New $15.00 Price Target at B. Riley Financial

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) had its price objective hoisted by B. Riley Financial from $13.00 to $15.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on CARS. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Cars.com from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Cars.com from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cars.com from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.25.

Cars.com Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:CARS traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $13.40. The company had a trading volume of 1,846,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 742,004. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00. Cars.com has a fifty-two week low of $7.40 and a fifty-two week high of $14.02. The firm has a market cap of $717.09 million, a P/E ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.66. The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.60.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $181.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.05 million. Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 4.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Cars.com will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In related news, Director Donald McGovern sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total transaction of $98,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 102,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,260,525. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Angelique Marks sold 57,980 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.94, for a total value of $692,281.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 149,636 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,786,653.84. The trade was a 27.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cars.com

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CARS. Pale Fire Capital SE lifted its position in Cars.com by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 4,008,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,850,000 after acquiring an additional 51,600 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Cars.com by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,401,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,620,000 after purchasing an additional 262,443 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Cars.com by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 580,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,711,000 after purchasing an additional 253,991 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Cars.com by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 440,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,579,000 after purchasing an additional 63,234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Cars.com by 47.0% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 308,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 98,499 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Cars.com

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cars.com reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share, above the $0.54 analyst consensus and up from $0.48 a year earlier. Net income more than doubled to $16.3 million, while adjusted EBITDA reached $55.8 million and its 30.7% margin exceeded guidance. Marketplace revenue grew 5%. Cars.com third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research raised its price target from $14 to $16 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling greater potential upside in its view.
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lifted its target from $13 to $15, although it kept a Neutral rating. The higher target adds support, but the unchanged rating suggests a measured outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $723.2 million–$737.7 million brackets the $728.7 million consensus; fourth-quarter guidance of $183.9 million–$187.6 million is also close to the $185.6 million estimate. Cars.com guidance and results
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $181.9 million came in below analysts’ $183.1 million estimate and was up just 0.2% year over year. The modest top-line growth may offset some of the earnings and margin strength. Cars.com misses Q3 revenue estimates

Cars.com Company Profile

Cars.com Inc (NYSE: CARS) operates a digital automotive marketplace that connects consumers with automotive dealers and manufacturers. Its platform enables shoppers to research vehicles, compare listings, read reviews, obtain financing information and connect with sellers when buying new or used cars.

The company provides automotive retailers with digital marketing, advertising, inventory merchandising, website and digital retailing solutions, as well as data and analytics tools. Its portfolio includes the Cars.com marketplace and related brands and services focused on dealer reviews, vehicle financing, automotive content and customer engagement.

Cars.com primarily serves the United States automotive market, working with consumers, franchised and independent dealerships, original equipment manufacturers and other industry participants.