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

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

Cars.com Stock Down 3.2 %

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on CARS shares. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Cars.com in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Cars.com from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, 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.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cars.com

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CARS. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Cars.com during the second quarter valued at $38,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 1,864 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Cars.com by 62.4% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,372 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Cars.com by 68.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Cars.com by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 8,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592 shares during the last quarter. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.