Fox Run Management L.L.C. Acquires Shares of 33,293 Cars.com Inc. $CARS

Key Points

• Fox Run Management L.L.C. invested $375,000 in Cars.com Inc., acquiring 33,293 shares, representing approximately 0.05% of the company's stock.
• Various hedge funds are increasing their stakes in Cars.com, with some showing significant percentage increases, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Cars.com, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $17.30, despite a recent earnings miss compared to expectations.

Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 33,293 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $375,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. owned 0.05% of Cars.com at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 624.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,690 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 4,043 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 282,874 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,902,000 after purchasing an additional 102,015 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 398,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,485,000 after purchasing an additional 46,562 shares during the period. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Cars.com in the 4th quarter valued at $4,460,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 59,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 18,799 shares during the period. 89.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cars.com Price Performance

CARS stock traded up $0.7990 during trading on Friday, hitting $13.2590. 882,174 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 937,713. Cars.com Inc. has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $20.47. The stock has a market cap of $814.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on CARS shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Cars.com from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 8th. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective (up previously from $21.00) on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cars.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cars.com presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $17.30.

Insider Transactions at Cars.com

In related news, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 15,000 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.77, for a total transaction of $176,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 98,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,158,885.97. This trade represents a 13.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.