Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) Trading Down 5% on Analyst Downgrade

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) shares fell 5% on Thursday after Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on the stock from $202.00 to $183.00. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a buy rating on the stock. Avis Budget Group traded as low as $100.13 and last traded at $100.13. 410,234 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average session volume of 822,222 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.35.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on CAR. StockNews.com raised shares of Avis Budget Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Avis Budget Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Avis Budget Group from $280.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Avis Budget Group from $195.00 to $145.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Avis Budget Group from $190.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avis Budget Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avis Budget Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Avis Budget Group by 101.0% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 209 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 15,550.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 313 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Avis Budget Group in the 1st quarter valued at $70,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in shares of Avis Budget Group in the 4th quarter valued at $75,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avis Budget Group in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Institutional investors own 96.35% of the company’s stock.

Avis Budget Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 2.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $117.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.51.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $7.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.15 by $2.95. Avis Budget Group had a net margin of 13.59% and a negative return on equity of 696.69%. The company had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $10.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Avis Budget Group, Inc. will post 15.35 EPS for the current year.

About Avis Budget Group

Avis Budget Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides car and truck rentals, car sharing, and ancillary products and services to businesses and consumers in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia, and Australasia. It operates the Avis brand, that offers vehicle rental and other mobility solutions to the premium commercial and leisure segments of the travel industry; and the Zipcar brand, a car sharing network, as well as the Budget brand, a supplier of vehicle rental and other mobility solutions focused primarily on more value-conscious customers comprising Budget car rental, and Budget Truck, a local, and one-way truck and cargo van rental businesses with a fleet of approximately 19,000 vehicles, which are rented through a network of dealer-operated and company-operated locations that serve the light commercial and consumer sectors in the continental United States.