Cars.com Inc. (CARS) – What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.58.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CARS shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cars.com from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Cars.com from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cars.com from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th.

Cars.com Price Performance

NYSE:CARS opened at $9.53 on Thursday. Cars.com has a 52 week low of $7.40 and a 52 week high of $13.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.72. The firm has a market cap of $509.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71 and a beta of 1.64.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.51. Cars.com had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 18.82%. The business had revenue of $179.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $180.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cars.com will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Angelique Marks sold 57,980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.94, for a total transaction of $692,281.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 149,636 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,786,653.84. This trade represents a 27.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jr. Donald A. Mcgovern sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total value of $98,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 102,900 shares in the company, valued at $1,260,525. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 3.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cars.com

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CARS. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Cars.com in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 250.1% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 3,826 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com in the second quarter worth $144,000. Amundi bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com in the second quarter worth $192,000. Finally, Kendall Capital Management acquired a new stake in Cars.com in the second quarter valued at $197,000. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cars.com Company Profile

Cars.com, Inc is a digital automotive marketplace that connects car shoppers with automobile dealers, manufacturers and other industry participants. Through its Cars.com platform, the company enables consumers to research vehicles, compare new and used cars, review pricing and features, read expert and consumer reviews, and connect with dealers about available inventory.

The company provides automotive retailers and manufacturers with digital marketing and technology solutions, including vehicle listings, advertising, inventory merchandising, lead generation, website and digital retailing tools, and customer engagement services.