Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.6667.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. B. Riley Financial lowered shares of Cars.com from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Cars.com from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cars.com from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Monday, April 13th.

Cars.com Price Performance

Shares of CARS opened at $11.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $661.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53 and a beta of 1.59. Cars.com has a 1-year low of $7.40 and a 1-year high of $13.97. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $180.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.16 million. Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 3.73%.The business’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Cars.com will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In other news, CFO Sonia Jain sold 52,579 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.56, for a total transaction of $502,655.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 346,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,315,924.24. The trade was a 13.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cars.com

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Cars.com by 30.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 436.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 6,475 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cars.com in the third quarter valued at $100,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Cars.com in the second quarter valued at $115,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new position in shares of Cars.com in the second quarter valued at about $126,000. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

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.