Wall Street Analysts See a 30.37% Upside in Cars.com (CARS): Can the Stock Really Move This High?

Core Viewpoint - Cars.com (CARS) shows potential for significant upside, with a mean price target of $17.17 indicating a 30.4% increase from its current price of $13.17 [1] Price Targets and Analyst Consensus - The average price target for CARS ranges from a low of $11.00 to a high of $25.00, with a standard deviation of $5.38, indicating variability in analyst estimates [2] - The lowest estimate suggests a decline of 16.5%, while the highest points to an upside of 89.8% [2] - A low standard deviation indicates strong agreement among analysts regarding the stock's price movement direction [9] Earnings Estimates and Analyst Optimism - Analysts have shown increasing optimism about CARS' earnings prospects, with a positive trend in earnings estimate revisions [11] - Over the last 30 days, one estimate has increased, leading to a 9.9% rise in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year [12] - CARS holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), placing it in the top 5% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimates [13] Caution on Price Targets - While price targets are commonly referenced, they can mislead investors, as empirical research shows they rarely indicate actual stock price movements [7][10] - Analysts may set overly optimistic price targets due to business incentives, which can inflate expectations [8]