Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Receives $17.90 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $16.0833.

CARS has been the subject of a number of research reports. BTIG Research decreased their price target on shares of Cars.com from $17.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $13.50 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Cars.com from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Cars.com in a research report on Friday.

More Cars.com News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cars.com this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record full-year revenue, cash generation and buybacks: Cars.com reported record 2025 revenue of $723M, generated $152M of annual cash from operations and repurchased 7.1M shares for ~$86M (retiring ~9% of shares), which supports shareholder return and balance-sheet flexibility. PR Newswire: Cars.com Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst with large upside: Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25 price target, signaling a sizable upside scenario if Cars.com executes on dealer monetization and product integration. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG keeps a buy stance despite trimming its target: BTIG lowered its price target from $17 to $13 but retained a “buy” call, indicating some analysts still see recovery potential above current levels. TickerReport: BTIG Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Company product roadmap / marketplace integration and AI plans: Management outlined marketplace integration and plans to advance AI-powered solutions with an expectation of dealer revenue growth in 2026 — constructive for long-term monetization but not immediate upside. Earnings Call Transcript | Slide Deck | MSN
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan keeps a neutral view but trims target: JPMorgan reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and cut its price target to $10 (from $16), reflecting reduced near-term confidence even as upside remains modest against today’s price. Benzinga / Finviz
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings miss and weak guidance: Cars.com reported Q4 EPS $0.44 vs. $0.56 expected and issued FY26 revenue guidance implying only ~0%–2% y/y growth (FY revenue guidance below consensus), which drove investor disappointment and downward pressure on the stock. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Structural concerns and traffic decline: A Seeking Alpha note argues Cars.com faces declining consumer traffic, stagnant dealer growth, margin pressure and a ~$400M net debt load — a thesis that supports continued downside risk and a “Sell” view. Seeking Alpha: Cars.com — A Struggling Business
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets highlight the miss: Coverage from Zacks, MarketBeat and other outlets emphasize the EPS miss and flat revenue growth, reinforcing the negative narrative among investors. Zacks | MarketBeat

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Sonia Jain sold 11,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $153,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 243,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,276,984.90. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Matthew B. Crawford sold 27,358 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.03, for a total value of $329,116.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 71,103 shares in the company, valued at $855,369.09. The trade was a 27.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CARS. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC increased its stake in shares of Cars.com by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 405,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,948,000 after purchasing an additional 38,496 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Cars.com by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 252,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,083,000 after purchasing an additional 25,760 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Cars.com in the fourth quarter worth about $168,000. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Cars.com by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 47,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $577,000 after buying an additional 4,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its stake in shares of Cars.com by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 36,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 1,859 shares during the period. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cars.com Price Performance

CARS opened at $8.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $502.84 million, a PE ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 1.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $11.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.91. Cars.com has a 52-week low of $8.29 and a 52-week high of $13.97.

Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $183.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $183.44 million. Cars.com had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 2.77%.The business’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Cars.com will post 1.19 EPS for the current year.

Cars.com Company Profile

Cars.com operates as a leading online automotive marketplace in the United States, connecting car shoppers with new and used vehicle listings from dealerships and private sellers. The platform enables consumers to research makes and models, compare prices, read expert and user reviews, and access tools such as TrueCost to estimate ownership expenses over time. Through its website and mobile applications, Cars.com aims to simplify the car-buying process by aggregating detailed vehicle data, payment calculators, and dealership ratings into a single user-friendly experience.

On the dealer side, Cars.com provides a suite of marketing and lead-generation services designed to help automotive retailers reach potential buyers and manage their online presence.