Company Deep Dive

Business segments breakdown, earnings transcript analysis, management credibility scoring, competitive landscape, and scenario modelling.

Request Deep Dive(50 Feathers)

CARS

Strong BuyFLAG

Cars.com Inc. · Communication Services · United States · $639M · Avg Vol: $7M/d

96
StockRank
Get insider-trade alerts
Q
61
V
60
M
81
P/E (TTM)
21.0x
ROE
7.4%
D/E
1.0x
Dividend %
AI CONVICTION THESIS

Cars.com clears stage one with all legs above the floor and a buyback retiring 7.30% of shares outstanding, the largest capital return in this batch. Insiders sold 0.15% with no offsetting purchases, net selling, which is adverse, so stage two blocks approval.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Cars.com Inc. operates a leading digital marketplace, Cars.com, connecting car buyers with automotive dealers and private sellers for new and used vehicles. The company benefits from strong brand recognition and powerful network effects, leveraging its vast inventory and engaged audience to facilitate vehicle transactions across the United States.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)

Year2022202320242025CAGRTTM2026E2027EFwd CAGR
Revenue653.9M689.2M719.2M723.2M3.4%725.6M729.6M747.6M1.7%
EPS0.251.770.730.328.6%0.570.400.4822.7%
Shares66.3M65.9M64.4M58.6M-11.5%53.5M
Debt472.4M483.2M455.3M451.5M-1.5%447.1M
Equity384.4M492.1M511.5M472.5M7.1%
Op CF128.5M136.7M152.5M151.6M5.7%151.6M
Inv CF-84.4M-97.0M-24.6M-49.4M
Fin CF-51.5M-31.7M-116.0M-96.6M
Loading 1Y...
PRICE (1Y)-0.3%
11.4211.7912.1612.5412.91Jul 20Aug 10Aug 28
SMA 50SMA 200

Close
$11.94
RSI (14)
46.3
52W High
$13.97
From 52W High
0.9%

SCORE BREAKDOWN

Quality
61
ROIC
8.8%55.7
ROE
7.4%50.3
GP/Assets
45.8%78.6
Op. Margin
15.5%69.5
FCF/Assets
12.2%82.7
Piotroski
775.5
Int. Cover
2.8x34.8
D/E Ratio
1.01x21.2
Current Ratio
2.00x60.0
Value
60
P/E (TTM)
21.0x38.2
EV/EBITDA
6.7x66.2
P/FCF
4.9x84.9
P/B
1.5x60.1
P/S
0.9x69.3
Div Yield
N/A
Momentum
81
52W High %
85%70.7
RS 6M
27%86.7
SMA 50/200
1.07x76.7
EPS Rev 4W
+2.9%79.0
EPS Rev 12W
+3.0%85.2
EPS Improve
+354%90.5
Q Growth
103%85.8

FUNDAMENTALS

Market Cap
$639M
P/E (Forward)
4.6x
Gross Margin
67.1%

SECTOR PEERS

Closest peers in Communication Services, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of CARS are excluded.

TickerCompanyMkt CapStockRankSignal
CARSCars.com Inc.(you)$639M96Strong Buy
NRDSNerdWallet, Inc.$633M95Strong Buy
EVEREverQuote, Inc.$904M97Strong Buy
TBLATaboola.com Ltd.$1.0B93Strong Buy
YELPYelp Inc.$1.3B88Strong Buy
MAXMediaAlpha, Inc.$681M63Hold
UPWKUpwork Inc.$1.1B60Hold
BMBLBumble Inc.$418M55Hold
MTCHMatch Group, Inc.$9.7B98Strong Buy
NXDRNextdoor Holdings, Inc.$878M42Hold

Peer medians: ROE 6.2% · P/E 19.0x · Gross margin 56.9%

Cars.com Inc. (CARS): Stock Score Summary

Cars.com Inc. (CARS) has a MoatMap StockRank of 96/100 based on Quality (61/100), Value (60/100), and Momentum (81/100) factor scores. The current signal is STRONG BUY. Cars.com clears stage one with all legs above the floor and a buyback retiring 7.30% of shares outstanding, the largest capital return in this batch. Insiders sold 0.15% with no offsetting purchases, net selling, which is adverse, so stage two blocks approval.

Cars.com Inc. operates a leading digital marketplace, Cars.com, connecting car buyers with automotive dealers and private sellers for new and used vehicles. The company benefits from strong brand recognition and powerful network effects, leveraging its vast inventory and engaged audience to facilitate vehicle transactions across the United States.

Key Financial Metrics

Price$11.94
Market Cap$639M
P/E (TTM)21.00
P/E (Forward)4.62
Price/Book1.46
Return on Equity7.4%
Return on Invested Capital8.8%
Debt/Equity1.01x
Gross Margin67.1%
Operating Margin15.5%
Revenue Growth0.7%
Free Cash Flow$129M

Cars.com Inc. operates in the Internet Content & Information industry, part of the Communication Services sector (United States).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cars.com Inc.’s (CARS) StockRank?
MoatMap’s StockRank for Cars.com Inc. (CARS) is 96/100, with a Strong Buy signal. It is a composite of Quality (61), Value (60), and Momentum (81) factor ranks across MoatMap’s 20,000+ stock universe.
Does Cars.com Inc. have an economic moat?
Cars.com Inc. (CARS) has a Quality factor score of 61/100. The Quality factor combines ROIC, Piotroski F-Score, and leverage: the financial fingerprints of a durable competitive advantage. A Quality score above 70 typically indicates a company with the characteristics of a moated business.
Is Cars.com Inc. a buy, hold, or sell?
MoatMap’s current signal for Cars.com Inc. (CARS) is Strong Buy, based on a StockRank of 96/100. Signals are derived mechanically from the StockRank composite and should be one input among many; combine with your own thesis on management, competitive position, and valuation.
What sector is Cars.com Inc. in?
Cars.com Inc. (CARS) operates in the Communication Services sector, specifically the Internet Content & Information industry (United States).