Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Price Target Lowered to $13.00 at BTIG Research

Posted by Jeff Wilder on Feb 27th, 2026

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS – Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by stock analysts at BTIG Research from $17.00 to $13.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. BTIG Research’s target price points to a potential upside of 42.23% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Cars.com from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Cars.com in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $13.50 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.08.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Cars.com

Cars.com Price Performance

NYSE CARS opened at $9.14 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Cars.com has a 12-month low of $8.86 and a 12-month high of $14.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $11.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $546.66 million, a PE ratio of 19.87 and a beta of 1.46.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.12). Cars.com had a return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 4.16%.The company had revenue of $183.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.44 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cars.com will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cars.com

In other news, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 27,358 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.03, for a total transaction of $329,116.74. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 71,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $855,369.09. This trade represents a 27.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sonia Jain sold 11,400 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total value of $153,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 243,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,276,984.90. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 122.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 29,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 16,347 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cars.com by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 33,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 6,416 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Cars.com by 19.5% during 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 worth $2,730,000 after purchasing an additional 39,561 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Cars.com by 119.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in Cars.com by 108.5% during the second quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 103,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 53,687 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cars.com

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

Positive Sentiment: Recorded full-year revenue of $723M, generated $152M of operating cash flow, repurchased 7.1M shares for $86M (retiring ~9% of shares outstanding), and expanded dealer customers to ~19,544 — indicating strong cash generation and shareholder-friendly capital allocation. Cars.com Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a marketplace integration strategy and is advancing AI-powered solutions while expecting dealer revenue growth in 2026 — strategic initiatives that could improve monetization and product differentiation over time. Cars.com outlines marketplace integration and expects 2026 dealer revenue growth while advancing AI-powered solutions
Neutral Sentiment: Revenue for Q4 was $183.9M, essentially in line with consensus and up 1.9% year-over-year — the top line showed modest growth but not a clear reacceleration. Cars.com (CARS) Reports Q4 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say
Neutral Sentiment: For additional management commentary and color on execution, see the full earnings call transcript. Cars.com Inc. (CARS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Negative Sentiment: EPS missed: reported $0.44 vs. consensus $0.56, and fell from $0.49 a year ago — an earnings shortfall that pressures near-term sentiment. Cars.com (CARS) Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
Negative Sentiment: Forward revenue guidance came in below consensus: Q1 2026 revenue $179.0M–$180.8M vs. $183.4M expected, and FY 2026 revenue $723.2M–$737.7M vs. $735.1M consensus — plus limited EPS guidance, which increases short-term uncertainty. Cars.com: Q4 Earnings Snapshot / Press Release & Slides

Cars.com Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.