Short Interest in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Increases By 6.8%

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,730,000 shares, a growth of 6.8% from the March 31st total of 1,620,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 399,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Cars.com Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CARS traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $16.70. 22,178 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 380,481. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 9.60 and a beta of 2.05. The business’s fifty day moving average is $17.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.83. Cars.com has a one year low of $14.82 and a one year high of $22.84.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cars.com has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cars.com

In related news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter sold 14,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $284,981.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 553,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,523,834. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter sold 14,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $284,981.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 553,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,523,834. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Douglas Neal Miller sold 1,823 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total value of $33,725.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 181,596 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,359,526. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,488 shares of company stock worth $654,361 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cars.com

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cars.com by 1.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,134,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,292,000 after acquiring an additional 89,194 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Cars.com by 118.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Cars.com by 599.5% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 782,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,051,000 after buying an additional 670,982 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Cars.com by 138.9% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 51,454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $868,000 after acquiring an additional 29,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 86,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,639,000 after purchasing an additional 9,261 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

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.