Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Makes New Investment in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 59,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,036,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Cars.com by 193.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cars.com by 813.0% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,878 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Cars.com by 184.5% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 2,254 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Cars.com by 68.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Cars.com by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 5,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 1,516 shares in the last quarter. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cars.com Stock Up 5.2%

NYSE:CARS opened at $11.36 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Cars.com Inc. has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $21.24. The company has a market cap of $721.68 million, a PE ratio of 19.59 and a beta of 1.95.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.02). Cars.com had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 5.46%. The business had revenue of $179.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $179.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cars.com Inc. will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter purchased 27,870 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $10.75 per share, for a total transaction of $299,602.50. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 844,897 shares in the company, valued at $9,082,642.75. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CARS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Cars.com from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Cars.com from $21.00 to $14.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Cars.com from $17.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cars.com presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.30.

About Cars.com

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.