Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Short Interest Up 6.8% in April

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of 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 trading volume, of 399,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Cars.com Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of CARS stock opened at $16.60 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Cars.com has a 1-year low of $14.82 and a 1-year high of $22.84. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.60 and a beta of 2.05.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at Cars.com

In other news, insider Douglas Neal Miller sold 1,823 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total transaction of $33,725.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 181,596 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,359,526. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Thomas Alex Vetter sold 14,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $284,981.00. Following the completion of 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Douglas Neal Miller sold 1,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total value of $33,725.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 181,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,359,526. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,488 shares of company stock worth $654,361 over the last quarter. 2.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cars.com by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 219,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,159,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Cars.com by 1.7% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 44,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $743,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Cars.com by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 36,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 955 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Cars.com by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

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.