Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Invests $1.70 Million in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 98,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,704,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned about 0.15% of Cars.com at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Boston Partners grew its stake in Cars.com by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,178,426 shares of the company's stock worth $55,021,000 after buying an additional 655,518 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Cars.com by 609.2% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 442,889 shares of the company's stock worth $7,675,000 after acquiring an additional 380,439 shares during the period. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Cars.com during the 4th quarter valued at $4,460,000. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Cars.com in the fourth quarter worth about $3,890,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the 4th quarter valued at $3,408,000. 89.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cars.com

In related news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter acquired 27,870 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $10.75 per share, for a total transaction of $299,602.50. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 844,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,082,642.75. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.39% of the company's stock.

Cars.com Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CARS traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $10.75. 128,613 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 637,758. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Cars.com Inc. has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $21.24. The company's 50 day moving average is $11.38 and its 200 day moving average is $15.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $682.61 million, a P/E ratio of 18.44 and a beta of 1.95.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.02). Cars.com had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 5.46%. The business had revenue of $179.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $179.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Cars.com Inc. will post 1.19 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.