Barclays Upgrades Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) to "Hold"

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded Avis Budget Group from a “strong sell” to a “hold” rating, adding to a wave of mixed analyst opinions on the stock.
• The company’s latest quarterly results missed earnings expectations, with EPS of $(8.01) versus the $(6.82) consensus, though revenue of $2.53 billion beat estimates and rose 4.1% year over year.
• Insider selling was notable, with two EVP transactions on April 30 totaling 16,299 shares sold, while institutional investors continue to hold the vast majority of the stock.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Barclays from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on CAR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Avis Budget Group from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $85.00 target price on shares of Avis Budget Group in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avis Budget Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avis Budget Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Avis Budget Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $127.75.

Avis Budget Group Stock Performance

Avis Budget Group stock opened at $179.10 on Monday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $228.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.65. The stock has a market cap of $6.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.40 and a beta of 1.87. Avis Budget Group has a fifty-two week low of $85.96 and a fifty-two week high of $847.70.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported ($8.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($6.82) by ($1.19). The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.43 billion. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($14.35) EPS. On average, analysts predict that Avis Budget Group will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Avis Budget Group news, EVP Edward P. Linnen sold 9,483 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.32, for a total value of $1,728,940.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 37,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,915,762.24. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Ravi Simhambhatla sold 3,469 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.09, for a total transaction of $638,608.21. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,554,432.84. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 16,299 shares of company stock valued at $3,836,012 in the last quarter. Insiders own 50.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avis Budget Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Avis Budget Group by 37.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,964,807 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $380,444,000 after acquiring an additional 804,814 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Avis Budget Group by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,975,675 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $253,519,000 after acquiring an additional 545,574 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Avis Budget Group by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,290,000 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $207,142,000 after acquiring an additional 409,761 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV grew its holdings in Avis Budget Group by 440.2% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,035,000 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $166,195,000 after acquiring an additional 843,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in Avis Budget Group by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 713,127 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $120,554,000 after acquiring an additional 7,318 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.35% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.