Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Shares Gap Up to $17.07

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $17.07, but opened at $18.03. Cars.com shares last traded at $18.07, with a volume of 85,201 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $24.00.

Cars.com Trading Up 7.7 %

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 2.05.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.07). Cars.com had a return on equity of 25.78% and a net margin of 17.19%. The company had revenue of $179.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Cars.com Inc. will post 0.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In other Cars.com news, insider Douglas Neal Miller sold 1,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total value of $33,725.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 181,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,359,526. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter sold 14,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $284,981.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 553,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,523,834. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Douglas Neal Miller sold 1,823 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total value of $33,725.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 181,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,359,526. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,488 shares of company stock worth $654,361 in the last three months. 2.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cars.com

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cars.com in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cars.com by 118.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in Cars.com by 103.8% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,056 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Cars.com by 109.1% in the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 3,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 45,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cars.com in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $119,000. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Cars.com

Cars.com Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a digital automotive marketplace that connects local car dealers to consumers in the United States. The company offers a suite of digital solutions that creates connections between individuals researching cars or looking to purchase a car with car dealerships and automotive original equipment manufacturers.