Insider Buying: Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) CEO Purchases 27,870 Shares of Stock

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) CEO Thomas Alex Vetter acquired 27,870 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.75 per share, with a total value of $299,602.50. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 844,897 shares in the company, valued at $9,082,642.75. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Cars.com Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of CARS traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.87. 70,745 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 635,881. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.33. Cars.com Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $21.24. The company has a market cap of $690.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.73 and a beta of 1.95.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.02). Cars.com had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 5.46%. The company had revenue of $179.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $179.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cars.com Inc. will post 1.19 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on CARS. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Cars.com from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Cars.com from $21.00 to $14.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Cars.com from $17.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cars.com has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cars.com

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Cars.com by 193.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Cars.com by 813.0% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,109 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,878 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Cars.com by 624.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,690 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 4,043 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in Cars.com by 184.5% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,476 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 2,254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com in the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.15% of the company's stock.

Cars.com Company Profile

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.