Cars.com Inc. (CARS)Communication Services | Internet Content & Information | Chicago, United States | NYSE
9.91 USD
+0.11
(1.122%)
⇧
(Oct. 14, 2026, 4 p.m.
EDT)
After hours: 10.04 +0.13 (1.312%) ⇧ (Oct. 14, 2026, 6:34 p.m. EDT) |
Hot Take ↕ | Oct. 10, 2026, 5:12 a.m. EDT
The investment case for Cars.com is severely compromised by a deteriorating business trajectory and a lack of shareholder returns. The company is trapped in a multi-year decline, having lost over 63% of its value since 2017, with the last two years showing consecutive negative returns. Fundamentally, the story is grim: traffic is falling, the subscription base is shrinking, and revenue growth has stalled at a mere 0.7%. Despite a forward P/E that looks attractive on paper, this is a classic value trap where the market has correctly priced in the erosion of the core business. The balance sheet carries significant debt relative to equity, and the absence of any dividend history confirms management is not returning capital to shareholders. Short-term momentum remains weak, with the stock trading well below its 50-day average and facing heavy speculative selling pressure in the options market. There is no catalyst to reverse this structural decline, making this a poor candidate for either a quick trade or a long-term hold. |
| Model | MAE |
|---|---|
| AutoTheta ✓ | 0.035840 |
| AutoARIMA | 0.037566 |
| AutoETS | 0.037675 |
| MSTL | 0.039578 |
Forecast horizon: 45 days | Selected: AutoTheta
| Forecast Reliability | |
|---|---|
| Score | 43% |
| H-stat | 1.54 |
| Ljung-Box p | 0.000 |
| Jarque-Bera p | 0.088 |
| Excess Kurtosis | 0.35 |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Debt to Equity Ratio | 100.793 |
| Revenue per Share | 12.261 |
| Market Cap | 530,509,152 |
| Trailing P/E | 17.39 |
| Forward P/E | 4.24 |
| Beta | 1.64 |
| Profit Margins | 4.73% |
| Website | https://www.cars.com |
As of Oct. 10, 2026, 5:12 a.m. EDT: Speculators are heavily positioning for downside protection, evidenced by massive open interest in out-of-the-money puts (2.7k contracts at the $7.5 strike) compared to negligible call volume. While there is some call activity at higher strikes ($15.00), the overwhelming weight of the options chain suggests a bearish bias and a fear of further decline rather than a bullish breakout.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| 52 Week Change | -0.07035649 |
| Address1 | 300 South Riverside Plaza |
| Address2 | Suite 1000 |
| All Time High | 32.94 |
| All Time Low | 3.25 |
| Ask | 10.5 |
| Ask Size | 700 |
| Audit Risk | 1 |
| Average Analyst Rating | 2.8 - Hold |
| Average Daily Volume10 Day | 900,850 |
| Average Daily Volume3 Month | 672,121 |
| Average Volume | 672,121 |
| Average Volume10Days | 900,850 |
| Beta | 1.642 |
| Bid | 9.25 |
| Bid Size | 400 |
| Board Risk | 2 |
| Book Value | 8.226 |
| City | Chicago |
| Compensation As Of Epoch Date | 1,767,139,200 |
| Compensation Risk | 4 |
| Country | United States |
| Crypto Tradeable | 0 |
| Currency | USD |
| Current Price | 9.91 |
| Current Ratio | 1.997 |
| Custom Price Alert Confidence | HIGH |
| Date Short Interest | 1,790,726,400 |
| Day High | 9.91 |
| Day Low | 9.72 |
| Debt To Equity | 100.793 |
| Display Name | Cars.com |
| Dividend Yield | 0.0 |
| Earnings Call Timestamp End | 1,786,021,200 |
| Earnings Call Timestamp Start | 1,786,021,200 |
| Earnings Growth | 1.273 |
| Earnings Quarterly Growth | 1.035 |
| Earnings Timestamp | 1,786,019,400 |
| Earnings Timestamp End | 1,793,881,800 |
| Earnings Timestamp Start | 1,793,881,800 |
| Ebitda | 157,244,992 |
| Ebitda Margins | 0.2167 |
| Enterprise To Ebitda | 6.006 |
| Enterprise To Revenue | 1.301 |
| Enterprise Value | 944,347,200 |
| Eps Current Year | 2.00254 |
| Eps Forward | 2.33656 |
| Eps Trailing Twelve Months | 0.57 |
| Esg Populated | 0 |
| Exchange | NYQ |
| Exchange Data Delayed By | 20 |
| Exchange Timezone Name | America/New_York |
| Exchange Timezone Short Name | EDT |
| Fax | 312 601 5755 |
| Fifty Day Average | 11.25 |
| Fifty Day Average Change | -1.3400002 |
| Fifty Day Average Change Percent | -0.11911113 |
| Fifty Two Week Change Percent | -7.035649 |
| Fifty Two Week High | 13.69 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change | -3.7799997 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change Percent | -0.27611393 |
| Fifty Two Week Low | 7.4 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change | 2.5099998 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change Percent | 0.33918914 |
| Fifty Two Week Range | 7.4 - 13.69 |
| Financial Currency | USD |
| First Trade Date Milliseconds | 1,496,323,800,000 |
| Float Shares | 44,722,300 |
| Forward Eps | 2.33656 |
| Forward P E | 4.2412777 |
| Free Cashflow | 104,946,496 |
| Full Exchange Name | NYSE |
| Full Time Employees | 1,700 |
| Fullday Change | 0.27999973 |
| Fullday Change Percent | 2.9411736 |
| Fullday Price | 9.91 |
| Gmt Off Set Milliseconds | -14,400,000 |
| Governance Epoch Date | 1,790,812,800 |
| Gross Margins | 0.67099 |
| Gross Profits | 486,889,984 |
| Has Pre Post Market Data | 1 |
| Held Percent Insiders | 0.126 |
| Held Percent Institutions | 1.08069 |
| Implied Shares Outstanding | 53,532,714 |
| Industry | Internet Content & Information |
| Industry Disp | Internet Content & Information |
| Industry Key | internet-content-information |
| Is Earnings Date Estimate | 1 |
| Language | en-US |
| Last Fiscal Year End | 1,767,139,200 |
| Long Business Summary | Cars.com Inc., an audience-driven technology company, provides solutions for the automotive industry in the United States. The company offers marketplace through Cars.com that allows OEMs and dealers to merchandise their inventory, as well as provides reputation management technology and digital financing tools. It also operates dealer websites to transform automotive retail processes; and trade and appraisal product, including AccuTrade, which uses demand data and diagnostic scans to determine the right trade-in offer for every VIN in minutes. In addition, the company offers media solution, such as Cars Social, allows dealers to target and serve native advertisements displaying real-time inventory to in-market car shoppers on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platform; VIN Performance Media, a machine-learning for media campaign, including audience targeting, real-time inventory, and ad placement across search, social, and display; In-Market Video, provides OEMs and dealers to pinpoint serious, ready-to-buy shoppers geographically; and proprietary in-market media solutions. The company serves local dealers, OEMs, dealer groups, and auto-adjacent companies. Cars.com Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. |
| Long Name | Cars.com Inc. |
| Market | us_market |
| Market Cap | 530,509,152 |
| Market State | PREPRE |
| Max Age | 86,400 |
| Message Board Id | finmb_7612672 |
| Most Recent Quarter | 1,782,777,600 |
| Net Income To Common | 34,297,000 |
| Next Fiscal Year End | 1,798,675,200 |
| Non Diluted Market Cap | 554,063,589 |
| Number Of Analyst Opinions | 6 |
| Open | 9.73 |
| Operating Cashflow | 151,576,000 |
| Operating Margins | 0.15492 |
| Overall Risk | 1 |
| Payout Ratio | 0.0 |
| Peg Ratio | 2.35 |
| Phone | 312 601 5000 |
| Post Market Change | 0.13000011 |
| Post Market Change Percent | 1.3118074 |
| Post Market Price | 10.04 |
| Post Market Time | 1,792,017,291 |
| Previous Close | 9.8 |
| Price Eps Current Year | 4.9487147 |
| Price Hint | 2 |
| Price To Book | 1.2047168 |
| Price To Sales Trailing12 Months | 0.7310984 |
| Profit Margins | 0.047259998 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.807 |
| Quote Source Name | Delayed Quote |
| Quote Type | EQUITY |
| Recommendation Key | hold |
| Recommendation Mean | 2.83333 |
| Region | US |
| Regular Market Change | 0.11 |
| Regular Market Change Percent | 1.12245 |
| Regular Market Day High | 9.91 |
| Regular Market Day Low | 9.72 |
| Regular Market Day Range | 9.72 - 9.91 |
| Regular Market Open | 9.73 |
| Regular Market Previous Close | 9.8 |
| Regular Market Price | 9.91 |
| Regular Market Time | 1,792,008,003 |
| Regular Market Volume | 571,757 |
| Return On Assets | 0.050100002 |
| Return On Equity | 0.07401 |
| Revenue Growth | 0.007 |
| Revenue Per Share | 12.261 |
| Sand P52 Week Change | 0.1570785 |
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Sector Disp | Communication Services |
| Sector Key | communication-services |
| Share Holder Rights Risk | 2 |
| Shares Outstanding | 53,532,714 |
| Shares Percent Shares Out | 0.1377 |
| Shares Short | 7,373,923 |
| Shares Short Previous Month Date | 1,788,134,400 |
| Shares Short Prior Month | 6,801,313 |
| Short Name | Cars.com Inc. |
| Short Percent Of Float | 0.1745 |
| Short Ratio | 12.43 |
| Source Interval | 15 |
| State | IL |
| Symbol | CARS |
| Target High Price | 17.5 |
| Target Low Price | 11.0 |
| Target Mean Price | 13.33333 |
| Target Median Price | 13.0 |
| Total Cash | 33,287,000 |
| Total Cash Per Share | 0.622 |
| Total Debt | 447,124,992 |
| Total Revenue | 725,633,024 |
| Tradeable | 0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Rate | 0.0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Yield | 0.0 |
| Trailing Eps | 0.57 |
| Trailing P E | 17.385965 |
| Trailing Peg Ratio | None |
| Triggerable | 1 |
| Two Hundred Day Average | 10.6645 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change | -0.7545004 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change Percent | -0.07074878 |
| Type Disp | Equity |
| Volume | 571,757 |
| Website | https://www.cars.com |
| Zip | 60,606 |