Cars.com Inc. (CARS) Insider, 13F Hedge Fund & Politician Buy/Sell Thermometer

$11.41 +4.30% NYSE • Live Quote vs Prior Daily Close (Synced Snapshot) EXT / AFTER-HRS: $11.48

Cars.com Inc. (CARS) carries a Roarable Rating of D+ (Sell) with 57/100 RQD Confidence due to weak cash-flow efficiency and sensitivity to current interest rates. Wait for business cash flow and institutional buying to improve before committing fresh capital.

ROARABLE D+ • SELL / AVOID Cap $610.8M
📤 Share Live RQD Speedometer Card: 𝕏 Post Reddit StockTwits ⬇ Live SVG Card
INTERACTIVE SCENARIO DECK:
🛡️ Portfolio Crash X-Ray
EXT / AFTER-HRS: $11.48 (+0.58%)🧬 Cannibal Buyback (-1.80% YoY Shares)⚙️ Cash Engine: 11/20 (D+) • 20.4% FCF Margin
Verify 90D Bucket Audit →
📊 Historical Track Record: Scores of 57/100 (D+) historically posted market-perform odds over rolling 90-day windows (-0.2% avg 90D alpha vs SPY • 52.2% hit rate — wait for RQD ≥ 70 breakout).
Audit Bucket Track Record →
RQD QUANT TACHOMETERSELL / AVOID • D+
025507510057
JEV AI Jury Split (Battleground)
Cash
SEC
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Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer

5-PILLAR SNOWFLAKE RADARRw D+ · Rk D+
Cash (11)Whales (10)SEC (10)Macro (12)CEO (14)
Each axis scored 0–20
12M PRICE TARGET CONE-0.4% Base Target
$14 Bull$11 Base$9 Bear
📬 FREE CARS RATING-CHANGE & BRIEFING ALERTSManage / Unsubscribe
WHALE OPTIONS SNAPSHOT: — (No Active Options Snapshot on file for CARS)Realized 20D OHLCV Swing Band: ±8.2%
Deterministic 5-Pillar Attribution (57/100 Composite)
🔍 WHY CARS SCORES 57/100 (D+) — TOP 3 DRIVERS2 Bullish Pillars + #1 Risk Drag
▲ #1 Bullish Driver: Insider Conviction & Share Dilution+14/20 pts (25% of score)

SEC Form 4 / 13F Thermometer: 70% Net Buy • Cannibal Buyback (-1.80% YoY Shares)

▲ #2 Bullish Driver: Macro Regime Fit+12/20 pts (21% of score)

FRED Regime × Technicals: 64% of 52W Range • RSI-14 at 60.5 (BULLISH MOMENTUM)

▼ #1 Drag / Risk Factor: SEC 10-K Forensic Risk10/20 pts (-10 pt drag)

Balance-sheet & 10-K footnote risk deducts 10 pts from forensic ceiling

📈 PAST 4 QUARTERS RQD vs SUBSEQUENT RETURNQ1 → Q2 → Q3 → Current
Q1 (-3Q)
49
Grade D$9.71+5.1% Next Q
Q2 (-2Q)
52
Grade C-$10.21+7.1% Next Q
Q3 (-1Q)
54
Grade C-$10.94+4.3% Next Q
Current
57
Grade D+$11.41-0.2% Hist 90D α
Trajectory: D (49) → D+ (57)Full Audit →
⚔️ ADVERSARIAL OPPOSING CASE & FORENSIC KILL-SWITCH (WHY THE BULL/BEAR THESIS COULD FAIL)GIDEON ASHMERE // FORENSIC SHORT & KILL-SWITCH DOSSIER

⚔️ Adversarial Opposing Case: Why the CARS Bull Thesis Could Fail

Gideon Ashmere Forensic Desk →

Even with a 57/100 (D+) score, CARS faces multiple-compression risk if 30.4x trailing P/E re-rate toward historical sector medians or if hyperscaler/enterprise customer concentration slows in upcoming 10-Q filings.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #1

Recent SEC filings added new risk-factor disclosures that warrant keeping an eye on margins.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #2

Dilution & Margin Drag: Cannibal Buyback (-1.80% YoY Shares) — any gross margin slip below 49.5% triggers an automatic RQD downgrade.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #3

Technical & Forensic Kill-Switch: A daily close below the 50D SMA ($10.91) or 200D SMA ($10.57) invalidates the momentum regime and cuts Target Base ($11.36) toward Bear Floor ($8.86).

🎲 LIVE PREDICTION MARKET ODDS TIED TO $CARS• $4.8M Crowd Pool • Kalshi / Polymarket Composite
Contract: “CARS Beats Next Quarterly Revenue & EPS Consensus + Hyperscaler AI CapEx Holds Record Pace”
SEC FORM 4 × 13F HEDGE FUNDS × CONGRESSIONAL STOCK ACT

CARS Smart-Money Thermometer: HEAVY INSIDER & 13F ACCUMULATION

Explore All 13F & Congress Whales →
▲ Disclosed Buys: 0 ($0)▼ Disclosed Sales: 0 ($0)

Wide-Open SEC Form 4, 13F & Congressional Disclosure Ledger (CARS)

No recent open-market Form 4 cluster sales or emergency dumps flagged on CARS. Visit the Global 13F & Congressional Whale Ledger for cross-market smart-money filings.

ON-DEMAND RQD QUANT WORKSHOP • SPONSORED / PARTNER SPOTLIGHTHosted by Perry Belcher & Roarable Forensic Quant Desk

Red-Light Warning Desk: Spotting SEC Cash-Flow & Dilution Risks Before Downgrades (Featuring CARS)

  • ✓Walkthrough of CARS's RQD Radar, SEC cash-conversion gap & downside invalidation levels
  • ✓3 asymmetric Bear/Hedge frameworks when 10-year Treasury yields stay elevated
  • ✓Includes nightly RQD rating-change & forensic signal email alerts on your tracked stocks
RQD INSIDER CLUB WAITLIST$49/YR PLANNED
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CARS // CANDLESTICK & AUTO-TRENDLINE WORKSTATION6M: +3.82%📐 HORIZONTAL RANGE
2026-10-30O $11.29H $11.53L $11.19C $11.41VOL 802.4K
RES: $14.09SUP: $8.51SMA50: $10.91SMA200: $10.57
$13.64$12.39$11.13$9.88$8.62RES $14.09SUP $8.51$11.412026-04-302026-06-152026-07-312026-09-162026-10-30
PRIMARY-SOURCE FORENSICS, SECOND-ORDER LINKS & AI ANALYST DESK

CARS Dilution Monitor, Expectations Hurdle, Butterfly Connections & Policy Exposure

Share Count & Dilution Monitor (#25)

Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).

Reverse-DCF Expectations Hurdle (#30)
23.5%/yr Implied 5Y Growth

vs. +0.6% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).

Ellis Vennor Setup Ledger (#33)

No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on CARS today. View full Setup Ledger →

🦋 Documented & Second-Order Butterfly Connections Open Graph →

No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for CARS. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.

AI Analyst Theses, Washington Policy & Company Video
🎬 No recent verified company-specific video clip queued for CARS today (we never pad ticker pages with unrelated generic clips). Browse Macro Video Desk →
DETERMINISTIC MULTI-FACTOR EQUITY AUDIT • SEC EDGAR XBRL × RQD PEER BENCHMARK

📊 Quantitative Sector Peer Comparison, SEC Filing Delta & Investment FAQ (CARS)

Technology Rank #299 of 714 ⚔️ IBEX vs CARS Full Matrix →

1. Head-to-Head Technology Peer Comparison (CARS vs. IBEX, BRAI, BRUN, OOMA)

Industry: EDP Services (163 Tracked Issuers)

Across 714 tracked Technology securities in the Roarable RQD universe, Cars.com Inc. (CARS) ranks #299 by composite RQD confidence (57/100, grade D+) and #404 by equity capitalization ($610.8M). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, CARS leads on earnings valuation at 30.4x trailing P/E, while IBEX leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 26.5% ROIC and — gross margin. IBEX currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 76/100 (B+) compared with CARS at 57/100 (D+).

Ticker / Company Roarable Grade RQD Score Trailing P/E Gross Margin ROIC 1D Change Market Cap Head-to-Head
CARS ACTIVE
Cars.com Inc.
D+ 57/100 30.4x — 5.5% +4.30% $610.8M Benchmark Subject
IBEX
IBEX Limited
B+ 76/100 — — 26.5% -0.66% $605.2M /ibex-vs-cars →
BRAI
Braiin Limited
D 48/100 — — — -15.00% $630.6M /brai-vs-cars →
BRUN
Boost Run Inc. (Class A)
D 49/100 — — — -7.27% $648.6M /brun-vs-cars →
OOMA
Ooma Inc.
D 44/100 86.8x 61.1% 4.6% -1.07% $560.6M /ooma-vs-cars →

2. Multi-Year SEC XBRL Revenue, Cash Flow & Balance-Sheet Trajectory (FY2023–FY2025)

SEC EDGAR 10-K • FILED 2025-12-31 • CIK 0001683606

In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31), Cars.com Inc. (CARS) reported GAAP revenue of $723.2M (+0.6% vs. FY2024 revenue of $719.2M , and +4.9% cumulative change since FY2023) , GAAP net income of $20.1M, operating cash flow of $151.6M, and free cash flow of $147.4M (-1.5% YoY). On the balance sheet, CARS closed FY2025 with $1.06B in total assets against $451.5M in total debt (Altman Z-Score: 0.36, Piotroski F-Score: 6/9).

Fiscal Period Filing Date Revenue Net Income Operating Cash Flow Free Cash Flow Total Assets Total Debt
FY2025 (FY) 2025-12-31 $723.2M $20.1M $151.6M $147.4M $1.06B $451.5M
FY2024 (FY) 2024-12-31 $719.2M $48.2M $152.5M $149.5M $1.11B $455.3M
FY2023 (FY) 2023-12-31 $689.2M $118.4M $136.7M $136.7M — —

3. CARS Data-Verified Investor FAQ (RQD Rating, Sector Peers, SEC Forensics & Technicals)

✓ SCHEMA.ORG FAQPAGE JSON-LD ENABLED

Is CARS stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?

As of 2026-11-01, Cars.com Inc. (NYSE: CARS) is rated D+ (Sell / SELL) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 57/100 at a spot price of $11.41 (+4.30% 1D, market cap $610.8M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 11/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 10/20, Executive Insider Alignment 10/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 12/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 14/20. Across 714 tracked Technology issuers, CARS ranks #299 in composite RQD confidence.

How does CARS compare to IBEX and BRAI in the Technology sector?

Within the Technology sector (EDP Services), CARS carries a Roarable D+ (57/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 30.4x, gross margin of —, and ROIC of 5.5%. By comparison, IBEX (IBEX Limited) holds a B+ grade (76/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC 26.5%, cap $605.2M) and BRAI (Braiin Limited) posts a D grade (48/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC —, cap $630.6M). Among the 5-stock peer group, CARS leads on earnings multiple (30.4x) while IBEX leads on capital efficiency (26.5% ROIC).

What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for CARS?

Per CARS's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001683606), Cars.com Inc. generated $723.2M in revenue (+0.6% YoY), $20.1M in net income, and $147.4M in free cash flow against $1.06B in total assets and $451.5M in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Company leadership has skin in the game with net positive insider conviction.. Primary risk factors monitored: Recent SEC filings added new risk-factor disclosures that warrant keeping an eye on margins.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.

Where is CARS trading relative to its 50-day, 200-day, and 52-week technical levels?

CARS last traded at $11.41 (+4.30% on volume of 876,651 shares), positioning the stock +4.58% above its 50-day simple moving average ($10.91) and +7.95% above its 200-day simple moving average ($10.57). Across its 52-week range of $7.40 to $13.69, CARS sits at the 63.8% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 60.5 (BULLISH MOMENTUM) and an implied next-earnings move of ±8.2% ($10.47 to $12.35).

CARS Investor FAQ & Complete 8-Part Research Index

100% OPEN ACCESS • SEC EDGAR × CBOE × FRED

Are CARS insiders and hedge funds buying or selling?

Roarable's SEC Form 4 and 13F Whale Thermometer currently classifies CARS leadership and institutional positioning as: HEAVY INSIDER & 13F ACCUMULATION.

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