Zacks Research Issues Negative Forecast for CAR Earnings

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Avis Budget Group in a research report issued on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of ($6.05) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($2.25). Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Avis Budget Group’s current full-year earnings is $8.91 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Avis Budget Group’s Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.82) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.04 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.95 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.83 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.99 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.55 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen cut Avis Budget Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Avis Budget Group from $120.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Avis Budget Group from $142.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Avis Budget Group in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $124.71.

Avis Budget Group Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of CAR stock opened at $99.56 on Friday. Avis Budget Group has a 12-month low of $54.03 and a 12-month high of $212.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $113.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.67. The company has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.92 and a beta of 2.32.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Avis Budget Group by 1,845.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 214 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 138.3% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,294 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $679,000 after buying an additional 3,072 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 7,754 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $995,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,417 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Avis Budget Group during the fourth quarter worth about $236,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.35% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Pentwater Capital Management L bought 425,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $94.26 per share, for a total transaction of $40,060,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,987,100 shares in the company, valued at $375,824,046. The trade was a 11.93% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lynn Krominga sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s 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. 52.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Avis Budget Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks slightly raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $7.22 (from $7.04), a small bright spot in an otherwise negative note. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market discussion / analysis pieces mentioning CAR were published (e.g., an AmericanBankingNews comparison with Freight Technologies), but these are general overviews rather than firm-moving new data. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures in the feed appear inconsistent (showing 0 shares / NaN changes), so there’s no reliable public short-interest signal to explain today’s move. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple upcoming quarter and full‑year EPS forecasts across 2026–2028 (notably Q1 2026 to ($6.05) from ($2.25), Q4 2026 to ($0.82) from $0.45, FY2026 to $3.04 from $8.12). Those downward revisions imply weaker near‑term results than previously modeled. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed FY2027 estimates (to $6.55 from $9.66) and multiple quarterly estimates for 2027, and continues to carry a “Strong Sell” rating — a negative signal for sentiment and flows. Read More.

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.