Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Shares Gap Up to $17.07

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $17.07, but opened at $18.03. Cars.com shares last traded at $18.07, with a volume of 85,201 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cars.com has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.00.

Cars.com Trading Up 7.7 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $17.14 and a 200 day moving average of $17.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 2.05.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $179.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.40 million. Cars.com had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 25.78%. Cars.com’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cars.com Inc. will post 0.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Cars.com

In related news, insider Douglas Neal Miller sold 1,823 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total transaction of $33,725.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 181,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,359,526. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Cars.com news, insider Douglas Neal Miller sold 1,823 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total transaction of $33,725.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 181,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,359,526. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter sold 17,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $335,654.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 568,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,808,815. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 34,488 shares of company stock valued at $654,361. Company insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cars.com

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cars.com in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 118.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Cars.com by 103.8% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 109.1% during the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 3,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 45,000 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Cars.com in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $119,000. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cars.com Company Profile

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.