Renaissance Technologies LLC Buys 253,991 Shares of Cars.com Inc. $CARS

Key Points

• Renaissance Technologies increased its Cars.com stake by 77.9%, purchasing 253,991 additional shares to own 580,189 shares valued at approximately $4.7 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 89.15% of the company.
• Cars.com reported quarterly EPS of $0.51, in line with analyst estimates, while revenue reached $179.93 million, slightly below expectations but up 0.7% year over year. Profitability improved, though weakness in OEM and national advertising revenue remains a concern.
• The stock opened at $11.79, while analysts maintained a generally cautious outlook: Cars.com carries a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $14.67.

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Free Report) by 77.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 580,189 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 253,991 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 1.04% of Cars.com worth $4,711,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pale Fire Capital SE boosted its stake in shares of Cars.com by 498.1% in the 1st quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 3,956,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,128,000 after purchasing an additional 3,295,117 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC raised its stake in Cars.com by 64.3% during the first quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 42,826 shares of the company's stock worth $348,000 after buying an additional 16,761 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Cars.com by 47.0% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 308,255 shares of the company's stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 98,499 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Cars.com by 15.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 35,306 shares of the company's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 4,592 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Cars.com by 8.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,401,523 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,620,000 after buying an additional 262,443 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Cars.com

In other Cars.com news, CFO Sonia Jain sold 34,021 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.49, for a total transaction of $322,859.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 312,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,968,785.17. The trade was a 9.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.36% of the company's stock.

Cars.com Stock Down 0.4%

CARS stock opened at $11.79 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $10.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.31. The company has a market cap of $659.12 million, a P/E ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.87. Cars.com Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $7.40 and a fifty-two week high of $13.97.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51. The firm had revenue of $179.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $180.53 million. Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 3.73%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Cars.com Inc. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Cars.com News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cars.com this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Profitability exceeded expectations: Second-quarter adjusted EBITDA rose 4% year over year to $53.0 million, with a 29.4% margin that topped the company’s 28%–29% target range. Net income more than doubled to $14.3 million, while EPS increased to $0.51 from $0.41 a year earlier. Cars.com Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Marketplace momentum and capital returns supported the outlook: Marketplace revenue grew more than 7%, its strongest growth in five years. Cars.com also repurchased 3.7 million shares for $37 million during the quarter and remains on pace for its $90 million 2026 buyback target. Cars.com Q2 Revenue and Net Income Report
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remained favorable: BTIG reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and set a $14 price target, implying meaningful upside from the recent trading level. BTIG Rating Reported by Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue performance was mixed: Quarterly revenue rose just 1% to $179.9 million, broadly in line with company guidance but slightly below one consensus estimate. EPS of $0.51 met the primary consensus estimate and exceeded the Zacks estimate of $0.49. Cars.com Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Advertising-related weakness remains a concern: Dealer revenue increased 3%, but OEM and National revenue fell 18% to $13.6 million, limiting overall growth and potentially explaining the negative investor reaction.
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance was steady to modestly constructive: Full-year revenue guidance of $723.2 million–$737.7 million brackets the $729 million consensus estimate, while third-quarter guidance of $183.9 million–$187.6 million is slightly above consensus. Cars.com Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on CARS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Cars.com from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research downgraded Cars.com from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on Cars.com from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut Cars.com from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cars.com currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.67.

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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