Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Stock Has Average Target Price of $14.58 According to Analysts

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.58.

Several research analysts have commented on CARS shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cars.com from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Cars.com from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th.

Cars.com Price Performance

NYSE CARS opened at $12.73 on Monday. Cars.com has a twelve month low of $7.40 and a twelve month high of $13.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $681.33 million, a PE ratio of 7.97 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.58.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.51. The firm had revenue of $179.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.53 million. Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 4.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Cars.com will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cars.com news, Director Jr. Donald A. Mcgovern sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total value of $98,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 102,900 shares in the company, valued at $1,260,525. This trade represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Angelique Marks sold 57,980 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.94, for a total transaction of $692,281.20. Following the transaction, the insider owned 149,636 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,786,653.84. The trade was a 27.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pale Fire Capital SE lifted its position in shares of Cars.com by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 4,008,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,850,000 after acquiring an additional 51,600 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,401,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,620,000 after purchasing an additional 262,443 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Cars.com by 77.9% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 580,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,711,000 after purchasing an additional 253,991 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Cars.com by 16.7% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 440,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,579,000 after purchasing an additional 63,234 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Cars.com by 47.0% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 308,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 98,499 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

Cars.com Company Profile

Cars.com Inc (NYSE: CARS) operates a digital automotive marketplace that connects consumers with automotive dealers and manufacturers. Its platform enables shoppers to research vehicles, compare listings, read reviews, obtain financing information and connect with sellers when buying new or used cars.

The company provides automotive retailers with digital marketing, advertising, inventory merchandising, website and digital retailing solutions, as well as data and analytics tools. Its portfolio includes the Cars.com marketplace and related brands and services focused on dealer reviews, vehicle financing, automotive content and customer engagement.

Cars.com primarily serves the United States automotive market, working with consumers, franchised and independent dealerships, original equipment manufacturers and other industry participants.