Renaissance Technologies LLC Buys 253,991 Shares of Cars.com Inc. $CARS

Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) by 77.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 580,189 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 253,991 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Cars.com were worth $4,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CARS. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 122.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 29,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 16,347 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Cars.com by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 33,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 6,416 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Cars.com by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 242,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,730,000 after buying an additional 39,561 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Cars.com by 62.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 218,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,588,000 after buying an additional 83,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Cars.com by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 223,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,653,000 after buying an additional 10,276 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CARS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Cars.com from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research lowered Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. B. Riley Financial cut Cars.com from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Cars.com from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.67.

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In other news, CFO Sonia Jain sold 52,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.56, for a total transaction of $502,655.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 346,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,315,924.24. This represents a 13.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cars.com Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:CARS opened at $11.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $659.12 million, a PE ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 1.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $10.86 and its 200 day moving average is $10.31. Cars.com Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.40 and a 12 month high of $13.97.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.51. Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 3.73%.The business had revenue of $179.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. Cars.com’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Cars.com Inc. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Cars.com

Here are the key news stories impacting Cars.com this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Profitability exceeded expectations: Second-quarter adjusted EBITDA rose 4% year over year to $53.0 million, with a 29.4% margin that topped the company’s 28%–29% target range. Net income more than doubled to $14.3 million, while EPS increased to $0.51 from $0.41 a year earlier. Cars.com Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Marketplace momentum and capital returns supported the outlook: Marketplace revenue grew more than 7%, its strongest growth in five years. Cars.com also repurchased 3.7 million shares for $37 million during the quarter and remains on pace for its $90 million 2026 buyback target. Cars.com Q2 Revenue and Net Income Report
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remained favorable: BTIG reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and set a $14 price target, implying meaningful upside from the recent trading level. BTIG Rating Reported by Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue performance was mixed: Quarterly revenue rose just 1% to $179.9 million, broadly in line with company guidance but slightly below one consensus estimate. EPS of $0.51 met the primary consensus estimate and exceeded the Zacks estimate of $0.49. Cars.com Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Advertising-related weakness remains a concern: Dealer revenue increased 3%, but OEM and National revenue fell 18% to $13.6 million, limiting overall growth and potentially explaining the negative investor reaction.
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance was steady to modestly constructive: Full-year revenue guidance of $723.2 million–$737.7 million brackets the $729 million consensus estimate, while third-quarter guidance of $183.9 million–$187.6 million is slightly above consensus. Cars.com Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

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.