Copart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRT) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Copart an average recommendation of Hold from eight firms (2 sell, 3 hold, 1 buy, 2 strong buy) with a 12‑month average price target of $44.40.
• Copart's latest quarter missed estimates—EPS $0.36 vs. $0.39 expected and revenue $1.12B vs. $1.15B—with revenue down 3.6% year‑over‑year.
• CEO Jeffrey Liaw sold 26,213 shares at an average $33.18 (reducing his ownership by ~24.8%); insiders now own 9.60% of the company.

Shares of Copart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRT - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation, one has issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $44.40.

CPRT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Copart in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Copart from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Copart from $45.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $48.00 target price on shares of Copart and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and set a $32.00 target price (down from $33.00) on shares of Copart in a research report on Monday, February 23rd.

Insider Transactions at Copart

In related news, CEO Jeffrey Liaw sold 26,213 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.18, for a total transaction of $869,747.34. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 79,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,638,871.76. This trade represents a 24.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Copart

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Copart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Copart in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Copart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. LRI Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Copart by 125.2% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 653 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Copart by 54.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 730 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.78% of the company's stock.

Copart Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Copart stock opened at $33.45 on Friday. Copart has a 12-month low of $32.20 and a 12-month high of $63.85. The stock has a market cap of $32.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $35.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.97.

Copart (NASDAQ:CPRT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.15 billion. Copart had a net margin of 33.76% and a return on equity of 16.68%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Copart will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Copart Company Profile

Copart NASDAQ: CPRT is a global provider of online vehicle auction and remarketing services, focused primarily on the sale of salvage and clean-title vehicles. The company operates a technology-driven auction platform that connects sellers — including insurance companies, vehicle finance firms, rental car companies, dealerships and fleet owners — with a broad buyer base consisting of vehicle dismantlers, recyclers, rebuilders and retail buyers. Copart's business model centers on efficient vehicle disposition using digital bidding and logistics services to maximize recovery value for its clients.

Core services include hosting live and timed online auctions, vehicle listing and inspection support, title processing, and transportation and storage solutions.

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