CARS
Neutral signalScored 2026-08-27 Drivers: Congress, fundamentals. Moteurs : Congrès, fondamentaux.
Research, not advice.
À propos
Cars.com Inc.
- Nom
- Cars.com Inc.
- Secteur
- Communication Services
- Industrie
- Internet Content & Information
- Bourse
- NYSE
- Capitalisation
- $611.6M
- Employés
- 1,700
- PDG
- Tobias Hartmann
- Site web
- https://www.cars.com
- Marché
- AXLBBWBZHCANGCBRLCSV
Cars.com Inc. operates as a leading digital platform, offering comprehensive services and solutions specifically tailored for the automotive sector. Its central purpose is to seamlessly connect prospective car buyers with vehicle sellers. Through its flagship online marketplace, customized dealer websites, and an array of other digital products, the company undertakes several key functions: it prominently showcases available vehicle inventories from dealerships, significantly enhances the brand visibility and reputation of both independent and franchised dealers alongside automotive manufacturers (OEMs), directs genuinely interested buyers to sellers, and equips consumers with essential tools and information to confidently navigate their car purchasing journey. Beyond these core offerings, Cars.com Inc. provides a diverse portfolio of specialized services. These include marketplace-centric products such as subscription-based advertising and social selling support. Its digital solutions encompass website platform hosting, an advanced AI-powered chat system, comprehensive digital retailing functionalities, and robust reputation management services. Furthermore, a wide array of advertising options are available, ranging from visual display campaigns and instant loan pre-qualification and approval processes to broader digital ad placements and targeted in-market audio advertisements. By December 31, 2021, Cars.com Inc. had established an extensive client base, serving 19,179 dealer customers throughout all 50 U.S. states. This diverse network included both franchised and independent dealerships operating via online platforms and traditional brick-and-mortar locations, as well as major automakers marketing vehicles across the United States. Essentially, its primary clientele consists of local car dealerships, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and various national advertisers. Cars.com Inc. was founded in 1998 and maintains its corporate headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
Price (1 year)
Live chart from TradingView — independent market data, as price context around the filings, not the Quorum score. EMA 50/200 and Bollinger load by default. When the exchange is known it is sent as EXCHANGE:SYMBOL; otherwise TradingView resolves the ticker best-effort.
VENTE TOTALE: 8 000 titres (~98 000,00 $ US)
- Insiders
- McGovern Jr. Donald A.
- Total bought
-
—
Avg buy (VWAP, 90d window) —
- Total sold
-
$790,281
Avg sell (VWAP, 90d window) $11.98 vs last close —
Total sold sums Form 4 code S in this window. Codes F, M, A and G are left out.
- Last activity
- 2026-08-20
- Last synced
-
2026-08-26 03:23:35
Sign in to request a sync of this company's price history and timing levels.
Insider holdings as a share of total assets aren't available for this company.
Avg buy and avg sell are volume-weighted prices (sum of shares × price, divided by shares) for Form 4 rows in this 90-day window that report both figures. A comparison with last close is market context for that average, not advice.
Recent Form 4
Filings in the 90-day window for this company. Value is shares × price from the filing. Research, not advice.
| Date | Person | Side | Shares | Price | Value | Form 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-20 | McGovern Jr. Donald A. | Sell · S | 8,000 | $12.25 | $98,000 | Form 4 |
| 2026-08-17 | Marks Angelique Strong | Sell · S | 57,980 | $11.94 | $692,281 | Form 4 |
Congressional trades
STOCK Act disclosures (90-day window)
Amounts are STOCK Act brackets as disclosed. Quorum does not turn a bracket into an exact price or a midpoint.
No STOCK Act disclosures for this company in this window.
Recent trades
| Date | Representative | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-04 | Lamar Smith | Purchase | $1,001 - $15,000 |
Signal
Neutral signalScored 2026-08-27 Drivers: Congress, fundamentals. Moteurs : Congrès, fondamentaux.
CARS presents a deeply unfavorable risk/reward profile: weak financial health (score 65) is undermined by an interest coverage ratio below 1.0, collapsing net margins, and structural headcount decline, while the…
The first sentence of the analysis written for CARS on 2026-08-27 - a real excerpt, not a sample. The rest of it, the 0-100 score and the rating it produced are part of Plus. See plans.
Factor checklist — research, not advice
A check leans with a bullish reading. A cross leans against it. A dash is unavailable or mixed.
- Insider Pulls against a bullish reading. Selling cluster — sale value, no purchase value
- Congress Unavailable or mixed. 1 purchase disclosure year to date, a thin reading
- Narrative Pulls against a bullish reading. Stored narrative reading is in the bearish band
- Timing Unavailable or mixed. No stored price series
- Financial indicators Supports a bullish reading. Current ratio 1.87 · operating margin 8.3%
Market snapshot
Financial ratios
| Metric | Trend | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2022-12-31 | 2021-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Profit Margin | 83.0% | 82.7% | 82.3% | 82.4% | 81.7% | |
| Ebit Margin | 13.2% | 13.1% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 7.7% | |
| Ebitda Margin | 25.9% | 28.0% | 22.0% | 23.3% | 24.1% | |
| Operating Profit Margin | 8.3% | 7.4% | 7.9% | 10.1% | 7.8% | |
| Pretax Profit Margin | 4.7% | 8.6% | 2.6% | 3.5% | 1.5% | |
| Continuous Operations Profit Margin | 2.8% | 6.7% | 17.2% | 2.6% | 1.7% | |
| Net Profit Margin | 2.8% | 6.7% | 17.2% | 2.6% | 1.7% | |
| Bottom Line Profit Margin | 2.8% | 6.7% | 17.2% | 2.6% | 1.7% | |
| Current Ratio | 1.866 | 1.834 | 1.224 | 1.402 | 1.564 | |
| Quick Ratio | 1.866 | 1.834 | 1.224 | 1.402 | 1.564 | |
| Solvency Ratio | 0.190 | 0.259 | 0.323 | 0.174 | 0.185 | |
| Cash Ratio | 0.496 | 0.434 | 0.269 | 0.299 | 0.414 | |
| Price To Earnings Ratio | 38.125 | 23.740 | 10.718 | 55.080 | 107.267 | |
| Price To Earnings Growth Ratio | -0.679 | -0.404 | 0.018 | 0.826 | -1.060 | |
| Forward Price To Earnings Growth Ratio | -0.679 | -0.404 | 0.018 | 0.826 | -1.060 | |
| Price To Earnings Diluted Ratio | 38.125 | 24.069 | 10.902 | 55.080 | 107.267 | |
| Price To Earnings Diluted Growth Ratio | -0.686 | -0.411 | 0.018 | 0.826 | -1.060 | |
| Price To Book Ratio | 1.556 | 2.236 | 2.573 | 2.443 | 2.884 | |
| Price To Sales Ratio | 1.016 | 1.591 | 1.837 | 1.437 | 1.840 | |
| Price To Free Cash Flow Ratio | 4.989 | 7.650 | 10.930 | 8.634 | 9.661 | |
| Price To Operating Cash Flow Ratio | 4.848 | 7.500 | 9.261 | 7.309 | 8.317 | |
| Debt To Assets Ratio | 0.441 | 0.409 | 0.412 | 0.461 | 0.463 | |
| Debt To Equity Ratio | 0.991 | 0.890 | 0.982 | 1.229 | 1.172 | |
| Debt To Capital Ratio | 0.498 | 0.471 | 0.495 | 0.551 | 0.540 | |
| Long Term Debt To Capital Ratio | 0.489 | 0.471 | 0.483 | 0.544 | 0.535 | |
| Financial Leverage Ratio | 2.248 | 2.174 | 2.383 | 2.666 | 2.531 | |
| Working Capital Turnover Ratio | 7.393 | 11.052 | 18.304 | 13.656 | 8.855 | |
| Operating Cash Flow Ratio | 1.337 | 1.305 | 0.938 | 1.212 | 1.464 | |
| Operating Cash Flow Sales Ratio | 0.210 | 0.212 | 0.198 | 0.197 | 0.221 | |
| Free Cash Flow Operating Cash Flow Ratio | 0.972 | 0.980 | 0.847 | 0.847 | 0.861 | |
| Debt Service Coverage Ratio | 2.702 | 5.826 | 4.534 | 2.971 | 3.177 | |
| Interest Coverage Ratio | 0.988 | 1.662 | 1.669 | 1.870 | 1.248 | |
| Short Term Operating Cash Flow Coverage Ratio | 51.005 | 0.000 | 5.911 | 9.092 | 15.435 | |
| Operating Cash Flow Coverage Ratio | 0.324 | 0.335 | 0.283 | 0.272 | 0.296 | |
| Capital Expenditure Coverage Ratio | 35.380 | 50.841 | 6.547 | 6.519 | 7.191 | |
| Dividend Paid And Capex Coverage Ratio | 35.380 | 50.841 | 6.547 | 6.519 | 7.191 | |
| Dividend Payout Ratio | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |
| Enterprise Value Multiple | 6.131 | 7.695 | 11.286 | 9.062 | 10.490 |
Sparkline shows each ratio oldest → newest (left → right).
How the latest year compares
For each ratio: its most recent value, the change versus one year earlier, and versus its 5-year average. ▲ higher ▼ lower
| Metric | Current | vs 1Y ago | vs 5Y avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Profit Margin | 83.0% | ▲0.3% | ▲0.6% |
| Ebit Margin | 13.2% | ▲0.1% | ▲3.1% |
| Ebitda Margin | 25.9% | ▼-2.1% | ▲1.2% |
| Operating Profit Margin | 8.3% | ▲0.9% | ▲0.0% |
| Pretax Profit Margin | 4.7% | ▼-3.9% | ▲0.5% |
| Continuous Operations Profit Margin | 2.8% | ▼-3.9% | ▼-3.4% |
| Net Profit Margin | 2.8% | ▼-3.9% | ▼-3.4% |
| Bottom Line Profit Margin | 2.8% | ▼-3.9% | ▼-3.4% |
| Current Ratio | 1.866 | ▲0.032 | ▲0.288 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.866 | ▲0.032 | ▲0.288 |
| Solvency Ratio | 0.190 | ▼-0.069 | ▼-0.036 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.496 | ▲0.062 | ▲0.114 |
| Price To Earnings Ratio | 38.125 | ▲14.385 | ▼-8.861 |
| Price To Earnings Growth Ratio | -0.679 | ▼-0.275 | ▼-0.419 |
| Forward Price To Earnings Growth Ratio | -0.679 | ▼-0.275 | ▼-0.419 |
| Price To Earnings Diluted Ratio | 38.125 | ▲14.056 | ▼-8.964 |
| Price To Earnings Diluted Growth Ratio | -0.686 | ▼-0.276 | ▼-0.424 |
| Price To Book Ratio | 1.556 | ▼-0.681 | ▼-0.783 |
| Price To Sales Ratio | 1.016 | ▼-0.574 | ▼-0.528 |
| Price To Free Cash Flow Ratio | 4.989 | ▼-2.661 | ▼-3.384 |
| Price To Operating Cash Flow Ratio | 4.848 | ▼-2.652 | ▼-2.599 |
| Debt To Assets Ratio | 0.441 | ▲0.032 | ▲0.004 |
| Debt To Equity Ratio | 0.991 | ▲0.101 | ▼-0.061 |
| Debt To Capital Ratio | 0.498 | ▲0.027 | ▼-0.013 |
| Long Term Debt To Capital Ratio | 0.489 | ▲0.018 | ▼-0.016 |
| Financial Leverage Ratio | 2.248 | ▲0.075 | ▼-0.152 |
| Working Capital Turnover Ratio | 7.393 | ▼-3.659 | ▼-4.459 |
| Operating Cash Flow Ratio | 1.337 | ▲0.033 | ▲0.086 |
| Operating Cash Flow Sales Ratio | 0.210 | ▼-0.002 | ▲0.002 |
| Free Cash Flow Operating Cash Flow Ratio | 0.972 | ▼-0.009 | ▲0.070 |
| Debt Service Coverage Ratio | 2.702 | ▼-3.123 | ▼-1.139 |
| Interest Coverage Ratio | 0.988 | ▼-0.674 | ▼-0.500 |
| Short Term Operating Cash Flow Coverage Ratio | 51.005 | ▲51.005 | ▲34.717 |
| Operating Cash Flow Coverage Ratio | 0.324 | ▼-0.011 | ▲0.022 |
| Capital Expenditure Coverage Ratio | 35.380 | ▼-15.461 | ▲14.085 |
| Dividend Paid And Capex Coverage Ratio | 35.380 | ▼-15.461 | ▲14.085 |
| Dividend Payout Ratio | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Enterprise Value Multiple | 6.131 | ▼-1.564 | ▼-2.802 |
Key metrics
| Metric | Trend | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $735.1M | $1.14B | $1.27B | $939.3M | $1.15B | |
| Enterprise value | $1.15B | $1.55B | $1.71B | $1.38B | $1.58B | |
| EV / Sales | 1.59x | 2.15x | 2.48x | 2.11x | 2.52x | |
| EV / Op. cash flow | 7.57x | 10.15x | 12.51x | 10.74x | 11.41x | |
| EV / Free cash flow | 7.79x | 10.36x | 14.76x | 12.68x | 13.26x | |
| EV / EBITDA | 6.13x | 7.70x | 11.29x | 9.06x | 10.49x | |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 2.20x | 2.01x | 2.93x | 2.89x | 2.85x | |
| Current ratio | 1.87x | 1.83x | 1.22x | 1.40x | 1.56x | |
| Income quality | 7.56x | 3.17x | 1.15x | 7.47x | 12.79x | |
| Graham number | $8 | $11 | $17 | $6 | $4 | |
| Graham net-net | -$7 | -$7 | -$8 | -$8 | -$7 | |
| Tax burden | 58.5% | 77.9% | 654.2% | 76.2% | 113.8% | |
| Interest burden | 36.0% | 65.8% | 35.8% | 39.0% | 19.7% | |
| Working capital | $98.2M | $97.4M | $32.7M | $42.6M | $53.1M | |
| Invested capital | $827.7M | $883.9M | $892.8M | $897.8M | $906.4M | |
| Return on assets | 1.9% | 4.3% | 10.1% | 1.7% | 1.1% | |
| Operating ROA | 5.5% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 6.5% | 4.6% | |
| Return on tangible assets | 5.4% | 12.6% | 33.2% | 8.0% | 5.1% | |
| Return on equity | 4.2% | 9.4% | 24.1% | 4.5% | 2.7% | |
| Return on invested capital | 3.7% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 5.4% | 5.2% | |
| Return on capital employed | 6.3% | 5.4% | 5.3% | 7.2% | 5.3% | |
| Earnings yield | 2.7% | 4.2% | 9.4% | 1.8% | 0.9% | |
| Free cash flow yield | 20.0% | 13.1% | 9.1% | 11.6% | 10.4% | |
| Capex / Op. cash flow | 2.8% | 2.0% | 15.3% | 15.3% | 13.9% | |
| Capex / Depreciation | 4.7% | 2.8% | 20.7% | 20.9% | 18.8% | |
| Capex / Sales | 0.6% | 0.4% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.1% | |
| SG&A / Sales | 46.3% | 44.5% | 45.3% | 44.3% | 45.2% | |
| R&D / Sales | 0.0% | 0.0% | 14.4% | 13.6% | 12.4% | |
| Stock comp / Sales | 4.3% | 4.2% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 3.4% | |
| Intangibles / Total assets | 65.3% | 65.6% | 69.6% | 79.0% | 79.0% | |
| Days sales outstanding | 67d | 68d | 66d | 60d | 58d | |
| Days payables outstanding | 83d | 98d | 66d | 58d | 49d | |
| Operating cycle | 67d | 68d | 66d | 60d | 58d | |
| Cash conversion cycle | -16d | -30d | -0d | 2d | 9d |
Change by theme
Grouped by what each metric measures. Each figure is the change over the period shown — ▲ up ▼ down versus then.
Change over 1 year
Change over 5 years
Employee count
Peer market caps
Recent news
- 2026-08-16 California State Teachers Retirement System Trims Stock Holdings in Cars.com Inc. $CARS California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its stake in Cars.com Inc. (NYSE: CARS) by 50.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,294 shares of the company''s stock after selling 51,516 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System
- 2026-08-07 Cars.com Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Cars.com NYSE: CARS reported second-quarter revenue growth and higher profitability as marketplace subscription gains offset a decline in OEM and national advertising revenue, while management reaffirmed its full-year outlook.
- 2026-08-07 Cars.com: Consumers And Dealers Are Leaving The Platform Cars.com remains a value trap despite a recent 10% rally, as fundamentals continue to deteriorate. Declining double-digit traffic and sequential dealer churn undermine CARS''s core business and brand positioning. A tough macro backdrop, including rising used vehicle prices and weaker consumer demand, further pressures CARS'' sales volumes.
- 2026-08-06 Cars.com Inc. (CARS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Cars.com Inc. (CARS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- 2026-08-06 Cars.com (CARS) Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates Cars.com (CARS) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.51 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.49 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.41 per share a year ago.
- 2026-08-06 Here''s What Key Metrics Tell Us About Cars.com (CARS) Q2 Earnings Although the revenue and EPS for Cars.com (CARS) give a sense of how its business performed in the quarter ended June 2026, it might be worth considering how some key metrics compare with Wall Street estimates and the year-ago numbers.
- 2026-08-06 Cars.com Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results Delivered expected revenue growth and strong profitability, underpinned by focused strategy with highest Marketplace revenue growth in five years Revenue grew to $179.9 million, up 1% year-over-year and in line with guidance Net income increased to $14.3 million, up 103% year-over-year Adjusted EBITDA grew to $53.0 million, up 4% year-over-year; Adjusted EBITDA margin of 29.4%, outperformed guidance range of 28% to 29% margin Share repurchases totaled 3.7 million shares for $37 million; year-to-date share repurchases totaled 6.2 million shares for $57 million and are on pace to 2026 target of $90 million CHICAGO, Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com Inc . (NYSE: CARS), a trusted audience-powered and data-driven technology platform that simplifies buying and selling cars, today released its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026.
- 2026-07-29 Only 2 of 56 New Vehicles Ace Car Seat Test in Cars.com''s 2026 Report Mercedes-Benz GLS580 and Volkswagen Tiguan are the only vehicles to earn straight A''s for car seat fit and installation, as 10 more vehicles land on the Top Finishers list ahead of back-to-school driving season CHICAGO, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Car-shopping marketplace Cars.com™ (NYSE: CARS) today released its 2026 Best Cars for Car Seats report, compiled by certified child passenger safety technicians and based on 12 months of hands-on testing. Out of 56 vehicles tested, only the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS580 and the 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan received straight A''s across every car seat category.
- 2026-07-23 Cars.com to Announce Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results CHICAGO, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com Inc . (NYSE: CARS), a trusted audience-powered and data-driven technology platform that simplifies buying and selling cars, today announced that it expects to report its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026, on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
- 2026-07-17 Cars.com (NYSE:CARS) & Montague International (OTCMKTS:MIHL) Critical Review Montague International (OTCMKTS:MIHL - Get Free Report) and Cars.com (NYSE: CARS - Get Free Report) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and profitability. Valuation and Earnings This table compares Montague International