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

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Free Report) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 365,735 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 23,960 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.56% of Cars.com worth $6,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cars.com in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,460,000. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,890,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Cars.com by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,172,706 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,984,000 after acquiring an additional 55,143 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC purchased a new position in Cars.com in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,081,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Cars.com

In other Cars.com news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter acquired 27,870 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $10.75 per share, with a total value of $299,602.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 844,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,082,642.75. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Cars.com Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CARS traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.43. 70,927 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 639,610. The firm has a market capitalization of $662.28 million, a P/E ratio of 18.02 and a beta of 1.95. Cars.com Inc. has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $21.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 1.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.18.

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

Cars.com Company 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.