Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) Receives Underweight Rating from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated their underweight rating on shares of Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) in a research report report published on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $165.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock, up from their previous price target of $123.00.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on CAR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Avis Budget Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $128.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Avis Budget Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Avis Budget Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $124.00.

Avis Budget Group Stock Performance

Shares of CAR stock opened at $229.14 on Thursday. Avis Budget Group has a 52-week low of $85.86 and a 52-week high of $847.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.10 billion, a PE ratio of -9.02 and a beta of 1.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $190.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.02.

Insider Transactions at Avis Budget Group

In other news, major shareholder Pentwater Capital Management L bought 425,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 approximately $375,824,046. This represents a 11.93% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lynn Krominga sold 1,950 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were 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. 50.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ING Groep NV increased its position in 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 worth $166,195,000 after purchasing an additional 843,400 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Avis Budget Group by 37.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 804,814 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Avis Budget Group in the 3rd quarter worth $97,951,000. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,975,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $253,519,000 after buying an additional 545,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,290,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $207,142,000 after buying an additional 409,761 shares during the last quarter. 96.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Avis Budget Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Legal overhang eased as some investor lawsuits against Avis management were dropped, removing a potential corporate governance overhang. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: A near-term catalyst: Avis will report Q1 2026 results on April 29, giving investors fresh fundamental data that could stabilize or accelerate moves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent parabolic run produced an all-time high and heavy retail interest, underscoring momentum-driven price moves rather than new company fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Short squeeze unwind and rapid deleveraging caused a steep intraday collapse and large volume, driven by retail trading dynamics and short-covering that quickly reversed; headlines call it a meme-stock episode similar to prior squeezes. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern about dilution: reports that an equity offering could be coming to capitalize on the spike intensified selling pressure, since new shares would materially dilute existing holders. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and market pressure: JPMorgan reiterated an underweight rating with a $165 price target and options activity showed heavy put-buying, signaling bearish bets and reduced confidence among institutions. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple LULD trading pauses and unusually high volume increased execution risk and amplified intraday swings, making the stock particularly volatile for short-term traders and institutional execution.

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.