Villanova Investment Management Co LLC Increases Stock Position in Cars.com Inc. $CARS

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) by 36.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 367,070 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 98,559 shares during the quarter. Cars.com accounts for approximately 3.1% of Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s holdings in Cars.com were worth $4,486,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CARS. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Cars.com during the third quarter worth about $1,673,000. Peregrine Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Cars.com by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 321,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,816,000 after buying an additional 31,548 shares during the period. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cars.com in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,210,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Cars.com in the third quarter valued at $2,496,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Cars.com by 53.4% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 57,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $677,000 after acquiring an additional 19,894 shares in the last quarter. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cars.com

In other Cars.com news, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 27,358 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.03, for a total transaction of $329,116.74. Following the transaction, the insider owned 71,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $855,369.09. This represents a 27.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sonia Jain sold 11,400 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total value of $153,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 243,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,276,984.90. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $13.50 target price on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Cars.com in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Cars.com from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.90.

Cars.com Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE CARS opened at $11.49 on Monday. Cars.com Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $16.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.00. The company has a market cap of $686.92 million, a PE ratio of 24.97 and a beta of 1.46.

About Cars.com

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.