Aurora Investment Counsel Purchases New Stake in CarGurus, Inc. $CARG

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new position in CarGurus, Inc. (NASDAQ:CARG) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 58,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,174,000. Aurora Investment Counsel owned 0.06% of CarGurus at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CarGurus by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in CarGurus by 8.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in CarGurus by 71.1% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in CarGurus by 30.7% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Global Investments grew its holdings in shares of CarGurus by 1.7% during the second quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 33,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. 86.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ismail Elshareef sold 1,645 shares of CarGurus stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.21, for a total transaction of $52,985.45. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 91,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,957,586.62. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jennifer Ladd Hanson sold 2,358 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.10, for a total transaction of $89,839.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 50,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,922,754.60. The trade was a 4.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 49,003 shares of company stock worth $1,858,494 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 16.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CarGurus

Here are the key news stories impacting CarGurus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and strong profitability: CarGurus reported $0.63 EPS vs. $0.61 consensus and showed healthy margins and return on equity, giving confidence in earnings quality. MarketBeat: Q4 results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised revenue guidance for FY2026 and Q1: Management set FY revenue around $997.7M–$1.0B (above consensus ~$970.9M) and Q1 revenue guidance $240.5M–$245.5M (slightly above the $238.8M consensus), which supports top-line momentum. GlobeNewswire: Earnings release
• Positive Sentiment: Share buyback support: CarGurus repurchased ~ $350M in 2025 and announced a new $250M repurchase program for 2026 — a clear capital-return signal that can lift EPS and shareholder value. GlobeNewswire: Buyback details
• Positive Sentiment: AI and international growth narrative: Management is accelerating AI-driven product launches and emphasizing international expansion, which analysts highlight as multi-year growth drivers. Seeking Alpha: AI & guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed guidance nuance — EPS vs. revenue: Q1 EPS guide (0.520–0.580) centers near/barely under consensus (0.560), while revenue guidance is modestly above consensus — investors should watch upcoming quarters to see if EPS catches up to revenue strength. Company slide deck
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss in quarter: Reported Q4 revenue ($209.1M) came in well below the consensus (~$239M), which tempers the EPS beat and may worry revenue-focused investors. MarketBeat: Revenue details
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cuts: RBC and DA Davidson trimmed targets (RBC $40→$34; DA Davidson $37.50→$33.50), which can cap near-term upside despite some analysts retaining positive ratings. The Fly: RBC note
• Negative Sentiment: Data-security headline: An alleged breach (1.7M records) reported by ShinyHunters creates reputational and potential regulatory risk; investors may view this as a short-term headwind. MSN: Data-breach report

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on CARG shares. DA Davidson cut their price target on CarGurus from $37.50 to $33.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut CarGurus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of CarGurus from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of CarGurus from $44.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of CarGurus from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.50.

CarGurus Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ CARG opened at $30.17 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.82. CarGurus, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $24.65 and a fifty-two week high of $39.42.

CarGurus (NASDAQ:CARG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.02. CarGurus had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 46.62%. The firm had revenue of $209.09 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. CarGurus’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. CarGurus has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.520-0.580 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CarGurus, Inc. will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CarGurus Company Profile

CarGurus, Inc operates an online automotive marketplace designed to connect buyers and sellers of new and used vehicles. Through its proprietary search engine and data-driven pricing tools, the platform enables consumers to compare listings, assess fair market values and locate local dealers offering competitive deals. CarGurus also provides detailed vehicle history reports, dealer reviews and financing options to streamline the car-shopping process for both private parties and franchised dealerships.

The company’s core product offerings include Instant Market Value (IMV), which leverages pricing algorithms to help buyers identify over- or under-priced vehicles, as well as dealer subscription services that grant automotive retailers access to lead generation tools, targeted advertising and dynamic pricing insights.