Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Raises Position in Cars.com Inc. $CARS

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Cars.com by 10.6% during Q1, acquiring an additional 88,463 shares to reach a total of 923,314 shares, valued at approximately $10.4 million.
• Insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 15,000 shares of Cars.com at an average price of $11.77, representing a 13.22% decrease in ownership.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed views on Cars.com, with price targets ranging from $11.00 to $25.00, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 923,314 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 88,463 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.45% of Cars.com worth $10,406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cars.com by 22.9% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $132,000. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cars.com Stock Performance

Shares of CARS traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $13.09. The stock had a trading volume of 619,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 798,791. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.82. Cars.com Inc. has a 12 month low of $9.56 and a 12 month high of $20.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $804.37 million, a PE ratio of 21.12 and a beta of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $12.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.15.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CARS. Zacks Research upgraded Cars.com from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen cut Cars.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Cars.com from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Cars.com from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $14.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cars.com currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $17.30.

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In related news, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.77, for a total value of $176,550.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 98,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.39% of the company's stock.

About Cars.com

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.