Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for CAR Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has downgraded its earnings per share estimate for Avis Budget Group's Q4 2025 from $0.93 to $0.86, while the current full-year earnings consensus remains at $8.91 per share.
• Avis Budget Group reported a significant earnings miss for its last quarter, with an actual EPS of $0.10, falling short of the consensus estimate of $2.02.
• Current ratings for Avis Budget Group include one "Buy," three "Hold," and two "Sell," with a consensus target price of $143.80.

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Avis Budget Group in a research report issued on Tuesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $0.86 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.93. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Avis Budget Group's current full-year earnings is $8.91 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Avis Budget Group's Q2 2026 earnings at $3.42 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on CAR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $196.00 price objective (up previously from $130.00) on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays raised their price objective on Avis Budget Group from $105.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "sell" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Avis Budget Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Avis Budget Group has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $143.80.

Avis Budget Group Stock Performance

Avis Budget Group stock traded down $2.63 during trading on Thursday, reaching $150.54. The company had a trading volume of 251,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,286,231. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $171.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.06. Avis Budget Group has a 1-year low of $54.03 and a 1-year high of $212.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a PE ratio of -2.39 and a beta of 2.19.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.02 by ($1.92). Avis Budget Group had a negative net margin of 19.06% and a negative return on equity of 14.74%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. Avis Budget Group's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Trading of Avis Budget Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 106.9% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 478 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 228 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 41.3% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 736 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 421.1% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 839 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 399.5% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 909 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 727 shares during the last quarter. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avis Budget Group

In other news, EVP Edward P. Linnen sold 10,000 shares of Avis Budget Group stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.83, for a total transaction of $1,568,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 40,915 shares in the company, valued at $6,416,699.45. The trade was a 19.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bernardo Hees sold 402,200 shares of Avis Budget Group stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.59, for a total value of $62,980,498.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 116,521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,246,023.39. This represents a 77.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 52.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Avis Budget Group

Avis Budget Group, Inc engages in the provision of vehicle sharing and rental services. It operates through the following segments: Americas, International, and Corporate and Other. The Americas segment includes the vehicle rental and car sharing operations in North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.