Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) EVP Edward Linnen Sells 9,483 Shares of Stock

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) EVP Edward Linnen sold 9,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.32, for a total value of $1,728,940.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 37,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,915,762.24. This represents a 20.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Avis Budget Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:CAR opened at $180.67 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $197.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $154.39. Avis Budget Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.96 and a 1 year high of $847.70. The company has a market capitalization of $6.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.48 and a beta of 1.94.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported ($8.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($6.82) by ($1.19). The business had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. Avis Budget Group’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($14.35) earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Avis Budget Group, Inc. will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avis Budget Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Avis Budget Group by 19.6% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 363 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 102.3% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 3,474 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,460 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 96.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Avis Budget Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Avis Budget Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue beat and improving regional trends — Avis reported revenue of $2.53B, above consensus, and Americas revenue grew (the first y/y growth since 2023), which supports recovery in core demand. Avis Budget: Q1 Americas Revenue Up, First Growth Since ’23
• Neutral Sentiment: Legal/trading developments remain unresolved — the company disclosed a trading dispute with a hedge fund tied to the recent squeeze (Avis says the fund owes it money); the outcome could move the stock but timing and size are uncertain. A Wild Short Squeeze on Avis’s Stock Takes Another Surprising Turn
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative market action — Hertz rallied on an unrelated Uber robotaxi deal while Avis showed much smaller moves, highlighting that some peer catalysts aren’t helping CAR today. Hertz Gains 13% on Uber Robotaxi Deal While Avis Rises 2%
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and stock reaction — Q1 EPS was a wider loss (?$8.01 vs. est. ?$6.82), which triggered sharp intraday selling and headline-driven volatility. Avis Budget Group Delivers Impressive Q1 CY2026 But Stock Drops
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy insider/institutional selling — large block sales by Pentwater and other disclosures have pressured sentiment and increased supply. Pentwater Capital Management L Sells Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Volatility signals and bearish flows — temporary trading halts (LULD pauses), a surge in put buying, and headlines about a dramatic short-squeeze reversal increase downside risk and trading unpredictability. Avis Shares Plunges After Mixed Q1 Results

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Avis Budget Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Avis Budget Group from $142.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Avis Budget Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $123.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $85.00 price target on Avis Budget Group in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Avis Budget Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $128.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Avis Budget Group has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus target price of $124.00.

About Avis Budget Group

Avis Budget Group, Inc operates as a leading global provider of vehicle rental and mobility solutions. Through its two core brands, Avis® and Budget®, the company offers a broad range of rental options including daily, weekly and monthly car rentals for leisure and business travelers. In addition to traditional airport and off-airport car rental services, Avis Budget Group delivers innovative mobility platforms such as car-sharing programs and connected fleet solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of corporate, government and individual customers.

The company’s roots trace back to Avis Rent a Car, founded in 1946, and Budget Rent a Car, established in 1958.