Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.90.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CARS. UBS Group raised their target price on Cars.com from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th.

Cars.com Stock Performance

CARS opened at $10.68 on Wednesday. Cars.com has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $15.92. The company has a market cap of $638.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21 and a beta of 1.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $11.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In related news, CFO Sonia Jain sold 11,400 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $153,330.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 243,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,276,984.90. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 27,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.03, for a total value of $329,116.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 71,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $855,369.09. This represents a 27.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cars.com

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Peregrine Capital Management LLC raised its position in Cars.com by 10.9% in the second quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 321,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,816,000 after acquiring an additional 31,548 shares during the period. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,673,000. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cars.com in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,210,000. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC grew its holdings in Cars.com by 36.7% during the third quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 367,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,486,000 after purchasing an additional 98,559 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Cars.com during the third quarter valued at $2,496,000. 89.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cars.com Company Profile

Cars.com operates as a leading online automotive marketplace in the United States, connecting car shoppers with new and used vehicle listings from dealerships and private sellers. The platform enables consumers to research makes and models, compare prices, read expert and user reviews, and access tools such as TrueCost to estimate ownership expenses over time. Through its website and mobile applications, Cars.com aims to simplify the car-buying process by aggregating detailed vehicle data, payment calculators, and dealership ratings into a single user-friendly experience.

On the dealer side, Cars.com provides a suite of marketing and lead-generation services designed to help automotive retailers reach potential buyers and manage their online presence.