Investors in Cars.com Inc. (CARS) need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Sep 20, 2024 $15 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today. What is Implied Volatility? Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mea ...

Cars.com ((CARS) is a small-cap operator of an online automotive platform. The company offers new and used vehicle listings, expert and consumer reviews, and research tools. The Chicago-based firm is also engaged in the sale of display advertising to national advertisers. The reason CARS fell into the cellar of the Zacks Rank is because EPS estimates dropped recently with the Zacks Consensus for this year slid 12% from $1.98 to $1.74. The catalyst for this downward revision was the company's August 8 earnin ...

Core Insights - Cars.com reports that over 60% of parents consider car seats crucial in their vehicle purchase decisions, with 84% of those who test fit a car seat at the dealership finding the process effective [1][2]. Group 1: Best Cars for Car Seats - The 2024 Best Cars for Car Seats Report evaluated 52 model-year 2023-25 vehicles, identifying only six SUVs as top performers, with Volkswagen securing half of these spots [3]. - The report serves as a resource for current and expecting parents to identify vehicles that accommodate car seats safely and easily [2]. Group 2: Family Budget Considerations - Five of the six top vehicles are also recognized in Cars.com's 2024 American-Made Index, with the Volkswagen ID.4 noted for a 21% decrease in price, making it appealing for families seeking affordable electric vehicles [4]. - The starting prices for five of the six Best Cars for Car Seats models are around $40,000, while the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek starts at approximately $25,000, significantly below the median price for compact SUVs [4]. Group 3: Methodology - The report is based on 12 months of comprehensive Car Seat Checks conducted by certified child passenger safety technicians, evaluating the installation of three types of car seats and the vehicle's Latch system [5].

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) Q2 2024 Results Conference Call August 8, 2024 9:00 AM ET Company Participants Catherine Chen - Vice President, Investor Relations Alex Vetter - Chief Executive Officer Sonia Jain - Chief Financial Officer Conference Call Participants Naved Khan - B. Riley Securities Gary Prestopino - Barrington Research Rajat Gupta - JPMorgan Marvin Fong - BTIG Tom White - Davidson Joseph Spak - UBS Doug Arthur - Huber Research Operator Ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Cars Second Quarter ...

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, DC 20549 FORM 10-Q ☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 b For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2024 OR ☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Commission File Number: 001-37869 Cars.com Inc. (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter) Delaware 81-3693660 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employe ...

Cars.com (CARS) reported $178.89 million in revenue for the quarter ended June 2024, representing a yearover-year increase of 6.4%. EPS of $0.38 for the same period compares to $1.37 a year ago. The reported revenue represents a surprise of -1.44% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $181.51 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.47, the EPS surprise was -19.15%. While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street ...

Cars.com (CARS) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.38 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.47 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.37 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for nonrecurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -19.15%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this online automotive marketplace would post earnings of $0.08 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.01, delivering a surprise of -87.50%. Over the last four quar ...

Revenue Performance - Revenue for Q2 2024 was $178.9 million, representing a 6.4% year-over-year increase[2] - Total revenue for Q2 2024 was $178.894 million, a 6.5% increase from $168.176 million in Q2 2023[21] - OEM and National revenue grew 28% year-over-year, driven by increased demand for media and advertising solutions[3] - Q3 2024 revenue is expected to be between $178.0 million and $181.0 million, reflecting year-over-year growth of 2% to 4%[8] - The fiscal year 2024 revenue growth outlook has been revised to a range of 4.5% to 5.5%[9] Profitability Metrics - Adjusted EBITDA for Q2 2024 was $50.4 million, or 28% of revenue, up 10% year-over-year[5] - Operating income for Q2 2024 was $9.517 million, down 22.9% from $12.334 million in Q2 2023[21] - Net income for Q2 2024 was $11.381 million, a significant decrease from $94.126 million in Q2 2023[21] - Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was $12,165, a decrease of 88.5% compared to $105,605 for the same period in 2023[23] - Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was $103,098, up 14.1% from $89,986 in the same period of 2023[24] Cash Flow and Liquidity - Net cash provided by operating activities for the first half of 2024 was $68.7 million, compared to $56.2 million in the prior year[6] - Total liquidity as of June 30, 2024, was $304.1 million, consisting of cash and cash equivalents of $29.1 million and revolver capacity of $275.0 million[6] - The company plans to return 50% of second half free cash flow to shareholders through share repurchases[7] - Free cash flow for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was $28,992, compared to $35,254 for the same period in 2023, reflecting a decrease of 17.3%[26] Customer Metrics - Dealer Customers increased to 19,390 as of June 30, 2024, up from 19,381 at the end of Q1 2024[3] - Average Revenue Per Dealer (ARPD) was $2,474, showing slight growth year-over-year[3] Operating Expenses - Total operating expenses rose to $169.377 million in Q2 2024, compared to $155.842 million in Q2 2023, reflecting an increase of 8.7%[21] - Total operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2024, were reported at $336,809, with adjusted operating expenses at $310,907, reflecting a reduction of approximately 7.7%[31] - Total operating expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2024, were $169,377, a decrease of 7.9% from $155,842 in the same period of 2023[29] Balance Sheet Highlights - Cash and cash equivalents decreased to $29.071 million as of June 30, 2024, down from $39.198 million at the end of 2023[22] - Total assets decreased to $1,120.542 million as of June 30, 2024, from $1,172.449 million at the end of 2023[22] - Total liabilities decreased to $623.651 million as of June 30, 2024, from $680.341 million at the end of 2023[22] - The accumulated deficit as of June 30, 2024, was $(997.569) million, an improvement from $(1,009.734) million at the end of 2023[22] Earnings Per Share - The company reported a diluted earnings per share of $0.17 for Q2 2024, down from $1.37 in Q2 2023[21] Stock-Based Compensation - Stock-based compensation for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was $16,763, compared to $14,672 for the same period in 2023, indicating an increase of 14.3%[25] - The adjustments for stock-based compensation in 2024 amounted to $(558), while in 2023, it was $(750), indicating a reduction in stock-based compensation expenses[31][32]

Core Insights - Cars.com Inc. reported a revenue growth of 6% year-over-year, reaching $178.9 million in Q2 2024, with OEM and National revenue achieving a record growth of 28% year-over-year [1][4][2] - The company generated $69 million in cash flows from operating activities year-to-date and plans to return 50% of its second half 2024 free cash flow to shareholders through share repurchases [1][9][11] - The adjusted EBITDA for Q2 2024 was $50.4 million, representing 28% of revenue, an increase of 10% year-over-year [2][8] Financial Performance - Revenue for Q2 2024 was $178.9 million, up $10.7 million or 6.4% year-over-year [2] - Net income for Q2 2024 was $11.4 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, a significant decrease from $94.1 million, or $1.37 per diluted share, in the prior year due to a prior year's tax asset valuation release [7][2] - Adjusted net income for Q2 2024 was $26 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared to $22.5 million, or $0.33 per diluted share, in the prior year [7][2] Operational Highlights - The dealer customer base grew to 19,390, up from 19,381 in the previous quarter, while average revenue per dealer (ARPD) increased slightly to $2,474 [3][5] - Average monthly unique visitors were 26.1 million, with total traffic reaching 158.1 million, reflecting a 1% increase year-over-year [3][8] - Subscription-based dealer revenue grew over 4% year-over-year, driven by increased adoption of digital products and the D2C Media acquisition [4][5] Cash Flow and Balance Sheet - Net cash provided by operating activities for the first six months of 2024 was $68.7 million, compared to $56.2 million in the prior year [9] - The company repaid $15 million of debt, reducing total debt outstanding to $475 million as of June 30, 2024, with total liquidity of $304.1 million [10][11] - Free cash flow for the first six months totaled $56.4 million, an increase from $45.6 million in 2023 [9] Future Outlook - The company expects Q3 2024 revenue to be between $178 million and $181 million, reflecting year-over-year growth of 2% to 4% [13] - The fiscal year 2024 revenue growth outlook has been revised to a range of 4.5% to 5.5%, down from the previous range of 6.0% to 8.0% [15] - The adjusted EBITDA margin outlook for fiscal year 2024 remains at 28.0% to 30.0% [16]

Market Overview - The used vehicle market has seen a price increase of 34% over the last five years, rising from $21,480 to $28,815, with a current inventory shortage of 1.5 million vehicles [1] - In the first half of 2024, used vehicle prices decreased by 5% compared to the first half of 2023, saving consumers over $1,600 [1] - New-car prices have decreased by 2% year-over-year, maintaining an average of $49,467 [2] Electric Vehicle (EV) Market - Demand for new electric vehicles has surged by 930% since 2019, with supply increasing by 825% and prices rising by 56% [5] - In the first half of 2024, new EV prices decreased by 4% compared to the first half of 2023, saving consumers an average of $2,400 per vehicle, while inventory improved by 53% [5] - The average price for used EVs has increased by almost 50% from $25,096 to $36,908 over the last five years, with a nearly 40% increase in demand for used EVs in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 [12] Trade-In Values - Trade-in values have increased by 48% since 2019, reflecting higher vehicle values in a constrained supply market [17] - Despite an 8% decrease in trade-in values in the first half of 2024 year-over-year, values remain elevated, providing leverage for consumers [17] Inventory Trends - The inventory for used vehicles is down 4% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with nearly 300,000 fewer vehicles available [1] - The broader new-car market has seen a 24% decrease in inventory over the last five years, resulting in 1.7 million fewer vehicles available [13] - New inventory is up 13% in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, indicating a recovery in market supply [13]