Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS)

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Free Report) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 365,735 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,960 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.56% of Cars.com worth $6,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CARS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Cars.com by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 236,850 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,105,000 after buying an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,079 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Cars.com by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 5,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 1,516 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Cars.com by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,885 shares of the company's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Cars.com by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 8,786 shares of the company's stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592 shares during the last quarter. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cars.com Price Performance

Shares of CARS traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $10.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 918,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 640,835. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Cars.com Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $21.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $689.28 million, a P/E ratio of 18.71 and a beta of 1.95. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.24.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $179.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $179.82 million. Cars.com had a net margin of 5.46% and a return on equity of 9.99%. Cars.com's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Analysts predict that Cars.com Inc. will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Cars.com from $17.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Cars.com from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Cars.com from $21.00 to $14.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Cars.com in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $18.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cars.com

In related news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter purchased 27,870 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $10.75 per share, with a total value of $299,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 844,897 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,082,642.75. This represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cars.com Profile

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.