Short Interest in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Expands By 14.4%

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,750,000 shares, a growth of 14.4% from the December 31st total of 1,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 545,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days. Currently, 3.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CARS has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Cars.com from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on Cars.com from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

Cars.com Stock Performance

CARS stock opened at $17.91 on Monday. Cars.com has a 1-year low of $15.05 and a 1-year high of $21.24. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $18.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.72. The company has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.88 and a beta of 2.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cars.com news, CFO Sonia Jain sold 24,971 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.74, for a total transaction of $492,927.54. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 229,229 shares in the company, valued at $4,524,980.46. This represents a 9.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jill A. Greenthal sold 4,524 shares of Cars.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.86, for a total value of $89,846.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 101,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,024,985.18. This trade represents a 4.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cars.com

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Cars.com during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cars.com by 145.2% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,864 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Cars.com by 62.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 1,372 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Cars.com by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Cars.com by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 8,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.15% of the company’s stock.

Cars.com Company Profile

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.