Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) Stock Price Up 12.2% – What’s Next?

Posted by Francis Steltz on Nov 4th, 2026

Shares of Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS – Get Free Report) rose 12.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $12.96 and last traded at $12.9710. 242,064 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 928,021 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.56.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on CARS shares. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $14.00 target price on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Cars.com from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Cars.com from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cars.com from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.58.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Cars.com

Cars.com Trading Up 10.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $686.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51 and a beta of 1.66.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.51. The company had revenue of $179.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.53 million. Cars.com had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 18.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cars.com Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Cars.com

In other news, Director Jr. Donald A. Mcgovern sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total value of $98,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 102,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,525. This trade represents a 7.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Angelique Marks sold 57,980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.94, for a total value of $692,281.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 149,636 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,786,653.84. The trade was a 27.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 3.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cars.com

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Cars.com in the 2nd quarter worth $1,118,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Cars.com in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,748,000. Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the second quarter valued at about $1,345,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Cars.com by 77.9% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 580,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,711,000 after acquiring an additional 253,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Cars.com during the first quarter worth about $1,055,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

About Cars.com

(Get Free Report)

Cars.com Inc (NYSE: CARS) operates a digital automotive marketplace that connects consumers with automotive dealers and manufacturers. Its platform enables shoppers to research vehicles, compare listings, read reviews, obtain financing information and connect with sellers when buying new or used cars.

The company provides automotive retailers with digital marketing, advertising, inventory merchandising, website and digital retailing solutions, as well as data and analytics tools. Its portfolio includes the Cars.com marketplace and related brands and services focused on dealer reviews, vehicle financing, automotive content and customer engagement.

Cars.com primarily serves the United States automotive market, working with consumers, franchised and independent dealerships, original equipment manufacturers and other industry participants.