BTIG Research Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Stock

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) had its price target hoisted by equities research analysts at BTIG Research from $14.00 to $16.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. BTIG Research‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 19.44% from the stock’s current price.

CARS has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Zacks Research raised Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Cars.com from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.25.

Cars.com Stock Down 1.2%

Cars.com stock traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $13.40. The stock had a trading volume of 1,846,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 742,004. The company has a market capitalization of $717.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.60. Cars.com has a one year low of $7.40 and a one year high of $14.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 2.00.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $181.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.05 million. Cars.com had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 18.82%. Cars.com’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Cars.com will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Cars.com

In other Cars.com news, Director Jr. Donald A. Mcgovern sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total transaction of $98,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 102,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,525. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Angelique Marks sold 57,980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.94, for a total transaction of $692,281.20. Following the sale, the insider directly 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 currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cars.com

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CARS. Pale Fire Capital SE raised its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 1.3% during the second quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 4,008,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,850,000 after purchasing an additional 51,600 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 8.4% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Cars.com by 77.9% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 580,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,711,000 after purchasing an additional 253,991 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Cars.com by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 440,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,579,000 after purchasing an additional 63,234 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Cars.com in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,748,000. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Cars.com News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cars.com reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share, above the $0.54 analyst consensus and up from $0.48 a year earlier. Net income more than doubled to $16.3 million, while adjusted EBITDA reached $55.8 million and its 30.7% margin exceeded guidance. Marketplace revenue grew 5%. Cars.com third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research raised its price target from $14 to $16 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling greater potential upside in its view.
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lifted its target from $13 to $15, although it kept a Neutral rating. The higher target adds support, but the unchanged rating suggests a measured outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $723.2 million–$737.7 million brackets the $728.7 million consensus; fourth-quarter guidance of $183.9 million–$187.6 million is also close to the $185.6 million estimate. Cars.com guidance and results
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $181.9 million came in below analysts’ $183.1 million estimate and was up just 0.2% year over year. The modest top-line growth may offset some of the earnings and margin strength. Cars.com misses Q3 revenue estimates

About Cars.com

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.