Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Cars.com currently has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" from eight brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of about $14.67. The ratings are mixed, ranging from one sell to three buys.
• Recent analyst action has been split: Zacks Research downgraded the stock to strong sell, while DA Davidson, JPMorgan, Weiss Ratings, and UBS all adjusted ratings or price targets in different directions.
• On the company side, CFO Sonia Jain sold 34,021 shares in June, and institutional investors continue to hold a large majority of the stock, owning 89.15% overall.

Shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.6667.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Cars.com from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Cars.com from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Cars.com from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Cars.com from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Sonia Jain sold 34,021 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.49, for a total value of $322,859.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 312,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,968,785.17. The trade was a 9.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 3.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 38,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119 shares during the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd lifted its stake in Cars.com by 12.3% during the third quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 12,499 shares of the company's stock worth $153,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Cars.com by 3.3% during the third quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 43,023 shares of the company's stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 30.0% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,025 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 36,904 shares of the company's stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company's stock.

Cars.com Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of CARS opened at $11.45 on Friday. Cars.com has a one year low of $7.40 and a one year high of $13.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $10.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.87. The company has a market capitalization of $640.15 million, a P/E ratio of 26.63 and a beta of 1.59.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $180.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $180.16 million. Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 3.73%.Cars.com's revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cars.com will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cars.com Company Profile

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.

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