What Happened?
Shares of online used car auction platform ACV Auctions (NASDAQ: ACVA) fell 5.5% in the afternoon session after an analyst at Needham lowered the company's price target.
While Needham analyst Chris Pierce kept a "Buy" rating on the stock, the price target was reduced to $14.00 from $16.00. This move signaled a more cautious outlook. The negative sentiment was not isolated, as the average price target from nine analysts covering the company had decreased by nearly 18% over the previous three months. This adjustment followed a period of stock weakness, with the shares having recently touched a new 52-week low.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks. Is now the time to buy ACV Auctions? Access our full analysis report here.
What Is The Market Telling Us
ACV Auctions’s shares are quite volatile and have had 17 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 27 days ago when the stock dropped 4.1% on the news that a key competitor, Cox Automotive, announced a strategic acquisition that intensifies competition in the vehicle inspection market. Cox Automotive, which owns the major wholesale marketplace Manheim, has acquired full ownership of Alliance Inspection Management (AiM), a recognized leader in vehicle inspection services. This acquisition is expected to significantly enhance Manheim's capabilities and expand its offsite presence, extending its reach well beyond its traditional locations. For ACV Auctions, which operates in the same digital marketplace and automotive services space, a strengthened competitor could create significant headwinds.
ACV Auctions is down 56.5% since the beginning of the year, and at $9.08 per share, it is trading 60.8% below its 52-week high of $23.17 from December 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of ACV Auctions’s shares at the IPO in March 2021 would now be looking at an investment worth $291.22.
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