Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of CAR Q1 Earnings

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) – Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Avis Budget Group in a report released on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings of ($6.05) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($2.25). Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Avis Budget Group’s current full-year earnings is $8.91 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Avis Budget Group’s Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.82) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.04 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.95 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.83 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.99 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.55 EPS.

CAR has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Avis Budget Group from $142.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $85.00 price target on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Avis Budget Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Avis Budget Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Avis Budget Group from $120.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $124.71.

Avis Budget Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CAR opened at $99.56 on Friday. Avis Budget Group has a one year low of $54.03 and a one year high of $212.81. The stock has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of -3.92 and a beta of 2.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $113.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.67.

Institutional Trading of Avis Budget Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its position in shares of Avis Budget Group by 102.3% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Avis Budget Group by 1,845.5% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 214 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Avis Budget Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avis Budget Group in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Avis Budget Group by 136.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.35% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Avis Budget Group

In related news, major shareholder Pentwater Capital Management L acquired 425,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $94.26 per share, for a total transaction of $40,060,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 3,987,100 shares in the company, valued at $375,824,046. The trade was a 11.93% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Lynn Krominga sold 1,950 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.54, for a total transaction of $178,503.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 52.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Avis Budget Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Avis Budget Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks slightly raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $7.22 (from $7.04), a small bright spot in an otherwise negative note. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market discussion / analysis pieces mentioning CAR were published (e.g., an AmericanBankingNews comparison with Freight Technologies), but these are general overviews rather than firm-moving new data. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures in the feed appear inconsistent (showing 0 shares / NaN changes), so there’s no reliable public short-interest signal to explain today’s move. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple upcoming quarter and full‑year EPS forecasts across 2026–2028 (notably Q1 2026 to ($6.05) from ($2.25), Q4 2026 to ($0.82) from $0.45, FY2026 to $3.04 from $8.12). Those downward revisions imply weaker near‑term results than previously modeled. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed FY2027 estimates (to $6.55 from $9.66) and multiple quarterly estimates for 2027, and continues to carry a “Strong Sell” rating — a negative signal for sentiment and flows. Read More.

Avis Budget Group Company Profile

Avis Budget Group, Inc operates as a leading global provider of vehicle rental and mobility solutions. Through its two core brands, Avis® and Budget®, the company offers a broad range of rental options including daily, weekly and monthly car rentals for leisure and business travelers. In addition to traditional airport and off-airport car rental services, Avis Budget Group delivers innovative mobility platforms such as car-sharing programs and connected fleet solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of corporate, government and individual customers.

The company’s roots trace back to Avis Rent a Car, founded in 1946, and Budget Rent a Car, established in 1958.