Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $164.57.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CAR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Avis Budget Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $118.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Avis Budget Group from $190.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Avis Budget Group from $202.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Avis Budget Group from $170.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Avis Budget Group from $145.00 to $117.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avis Budget Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 47.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 327,275 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $58,013,000 after purchasing an additional 105,867 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 165.6% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 25,571 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,595,000 after buying an additional 15,943 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avis Budget Group in the fourth quarter worth about $12,317,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 1,345.4% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,515 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avis Budget Group in the first quarter worth about $1,069,000. Institutional investors own 96.35% of the company’s stock.

Avis Budget Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CAR opened at $102.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 2.21. Avis Budget Group has a 1-year low of $93.53 and a 1-year high of $244.95. The company’s fifty day moving average is $111.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.05.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The business services provider reported ($3.21) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.65) by ($0.56). Avis Budget Group had a negative return on equity of 480.48% and a net margin of 10.05%. The firm had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Avis Budget Group will post 12.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avis Budget Group Company Profile

Avis Budget Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides car and truck rentals, car sharing, and ancillary products and services to businesses and consumers in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia, and Australasia. It operates the Avis brand, that offers vehicle rental and other mobility solutions to the premium commercial and leisure segments of the travel industry; and the Zipcar brand, a car sharing network, as well as the Budget brand, a supplier of vehicle rental and other mobility solutions focused primarily on more value-conscious customers comprising Budget car rental, and Budget Truck, a local, and one-way truck and cargo van rental businesses with a fleet of approximately 19,000 vehicles, which are rented through a network of dealer-operated and company-operated locations that serve the light commercial and consumer sectors in the continental United States.