Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Brokerages

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Buy" by the six research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.30.

CARS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 target price (up previously from $21.00) on shares of Cars.com in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Cars.com from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cars.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cars.com from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th.

Cars.com Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:CARS traded down $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $13.59. 531,053 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 792,019. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.96. The firm has a market cap of $835.15 million, a P/E ratio of 21.92 and a beta of 1.78. Cars.com has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $20.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $178.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $179.43 million. Cars.com had a net margin of 5.71% and a return on equity of 17.43%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Cars.com will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cars.com news, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.77, for a total value of $176,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 98,461 shares in the company, valued at $1,158,885.97. The trade was a 13.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cars.com

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the second quarter worth about $115,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in Cars.com by 4.4% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 197,212 shares of the company's stock worth $2,337,000 after buying an additional 8,341 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its position in shares of Cars.com by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 76,904 shares of the company's stock valued at $912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,629 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Cars.com by 436.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,960 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 6,475 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Cars.com by 21.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 41,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 7,343 shares during the period. 89.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.