Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 0.00, read 2026-11-03
Ethical does not pass the values gate
Price12.75 USD
Fair value16.25
Ethical score70.0/100
Value readUndervaluedas of 4 Nov 2026
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-28Read Accumulation10.23+24.6% to today ✓Distribution gives way to Accumulation
2026-10-21Read Distribution10.23+24.6% to today Markdown gives way to Distribution after an 11% slide in 3 weeks
2026-10-02Read Markdown11.45+11.4% to today Markup gives way to Markdown
2026-08-24Read Markup11.99+6.3% to today ✓Accumulation gives way to Markup
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Cars.com holds its Accumulation at $12.75. The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 44 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-11-04
Phase
Accumulation
Quantitative state
The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 44 days
Price at the screen
$12.75
Valuation
26.63 trailing · 4.55 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 70.0
Beta
1.59
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Debt ratio
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
42.50%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is 42.5% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.
Fail
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
17.71%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 17.7% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Falls Short, in Plain English
Cars.com's business is in a permissible area, but its interest-bearing debt is about 42% of the company, well over the ~33% line, so it does not pass on the financial screens.
Read as at 2026-11-05. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
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What the Numbers Say It Is Worth
The Fair Value Range
Our analysis reads Undervalued vs our fair value, as of 4 Nov 2026: it trades at roughly a 29% discount to our $16.25 fair value, none competitive moat, 0.70% revenue growth.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-11-04 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 21.5% discount to the base estimate.
Where our models see it going: fair-value estimate $16.25, with a range of $16.25 to $23.12, dated to the 2026-11-04 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Why it stands out
A 1%-growth business trading at just 4.6x forward earnings, with a none competitive moat. That is a 29% discount to our $16.25 fair value: the market is pricing it cautiously while the fundamentals argue otherwise. 7 analysts rate it Hold with a $13.00 average target, about 2% above the screened price.
Another profit measure, before interest, tax and non-cash costs: EBITDA.
The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market; it already moves more than the market on an average day.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
CARS trades on the NYSE. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-11-05Accumulation$12.75+10.3%Entry 17
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 10.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-04Accumulation$11.56+2.8%Entry 16
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 2.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-03Accumulation$11.24+0.0%Entry 15
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-02Accumulation$11.24+0.0%Entry 14
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-01Accumulation$11.24+2.7%Entry 13
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 2.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-31Accumulation$10.94+0.0%Entry 12
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-30Accumulation$10.94+0.0%Entry 11
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-29Accumulation$10.94+6.9%Entry 10
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 6.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework has shifted from distribution to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13.
The framework has shifted from markdown to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 5.4% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $13.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.