Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Earns Outperform Rating from Barrington Research

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by analysts at Barrington Research in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Barrington Research’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 88.55% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CARS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Cars.com from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Cars.com from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $14.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $22.00 target price (up previously from $21.00) on shares of Cars.com in a report on Friday, August 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.30.

Cars.com Stock Performance

Shares of Cars.com stock opened at $13.2590 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $814.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39 and a beta of 1.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $12.36 and its 200-day moving average is $12.24. Cars.com has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $20.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.82.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.04). Cars.com had a net margin of 5.71% and a return on equity of 17.43%. The firm had revenue of $178.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $179.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Cars.com will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In other news, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.77, for a total value of $176,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 98,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,158,885.97. This represents a 13.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Cars.com by 813.0% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,878 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in Cars.com by 184.5% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 2,254 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Cars.com during the 4th quarter worth $61,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Cars.com by 119.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,227 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Cars.com by 624.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 4,043 shares during the last quarter. 89.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Cars.com

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.