Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Put Options on Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR)

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 42,326 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 54% compared to the average volume of 27,459 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Avis Budget Group news, major shareholder Pentwater Capital Management L purchased 425,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $94.26 per share, for a total transaction of $40,060,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,987,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $375,824,046. This trade represents a 11.93% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lynn Krominga sold 1,950 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.54, for a total value of $178,503.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 50.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avis Budget Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 37.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,964,807 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $380,444,000 after buying an additional 804,814 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,975,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $253,519,000 after buying an additional 545,574 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 46.6% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,290,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $207,142,000 after buying an additional 409,761 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV grew its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 440.2% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,035,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $166,195,000 after buying an additional 843,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Avis Budget Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 713,127 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $120,554,000 after purchasing an additional 7,318 shares during the period. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Avis Budget Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Avis Budget Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Americas revenue grew in Q1 — the first regional growth since 2023, helping drive the company’s revenue beat and signaling improving demand trends in its core market. Avis Budget: Q1 Americas Revenue Up, First Growth Since ’23
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue topped Street estimates ($2.53B vs ~$2.43B) and revenue was up ~4% year‑over‑year; EPS also narrowed versus the year‑ago loss (‑$8.01 vs ‑$14.35), showing operational improvement despite the quarterly loss. Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) Delivers Impressive Q1 CY2026 But Stock Drops
• Neutral Sentiment: A complex short‑squeeze saga is still unfolding — the company says a hedge fund involved in the swings owes it money under a niche trading rule, which could provide a recovery source but also prolong volatility. A Wild Short Squeeze on Avis’s Stock Takes Another Surprising Turn
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s slides and the earnings‑call transcript are available for detail — useful for investors parsing fleet, utilization and buyback/cash commentary that could change the outlook. Avis Budget Group, Inc. 2026 Q1 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market structure events (multiple LULD trading halts) and unusually large options activity (over 42k put contracts traded, ~54% above average) intensified intraday swings and reduced liquidity. (Trading notices and options volume reported by market sources.)
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed expectations materially (reported loss of $8.01 vs. consensus ≈ $6.82), which triggered sharp selling and headline‑driven panic. Volatile Avis stock plunges on wider-than-expected loss
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and a consensus “Strong Sell” posture (low target prices from several shops) add pressure to sentiment and limit near‑term buying. (Market coverage summary available from market outlets.)
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy insider/institutional selling (large Pentwater dispositions disclosed) and broad profit‑taking after the recent extreme short‑squeeze spike amplified downward moves. SEC filing: Pentwater Capital Management L Sells Shares

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAR has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $85.00 target price on Avis Budget Group in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Avis Budget Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Avis Budget Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Avis Budget Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $128.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Avis Budget Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $123.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $124.00.

Avis Budget Group Stock Down 0.5%

CAR stock opened at $181.15 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $196.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.20. The stock has a market cap of $6.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.13 and a beta of 1.94. Avis Budget Group has a 52-week low of $85.96 and a 52-week high of $847.70.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported ($8.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($6.82) by ($1.19). The business had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.43 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($14.35) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Avis Budget Group will post 3.87 EPS for the current year.

About Avis Budget Group

Avis Budget Group, Inc operates as a leading global provider of vehicle rental and mobility solutions. Through its two core brands, Avis® and Budget®, the company offers a broad range of rental options including daily, weekly and monthly car rentals for leisure and business travelers. In addition to traditional airport and off-airport car rental services, Avis Budget Group delivers innovative mobility platforms such as car-sharing programs and connected fleet solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of corporate, government and individual customers.

The company’s roots trace back to Avis Rent a Car, founded in 1946, and Budget Rent a Car, established in 1958.