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Side-by-side financial comparison of Cars.com Inc. (CARS) and FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. (FORR). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Cars.com Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($183.9M vs $101.1M, roughly 1.8× FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC.). On growth, Cars.com Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (1.9% vs -6.5%). Cars.com Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($36.7M vs $-4.3M). Over the past eight quarters, Cars.com Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (1.0% CAGR vs 0.5%).
Cars.com is an automotive classified website focused on the United States that launched in June 1998 and now is the second largest automotive classified site. It is also known for being the most expensive domain ever sold. It was sold in 2014 for $872 million Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. Cars.com also offers expert car reviews, news and research from its dedicated Editorial team.
Forrester Research, Inc. is a research and advisory firm working in research, consulting and events. Forrester’s clients include large global business, technology and consumer enterprises. The firm is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.
CARS vs FORR — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $183.9M | $101.1M |
| Net Profit | — | $-33.9M |
| Gross Margin | — | 56.7% |
| Operating Margin | 11.8% | -36.6% |
| Net Margin | — | -33.5% |
| Revenue YoY | 1.9% | -6.5% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | -7941.4% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.12 | $-1.75 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $183.9M | $101.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $181.6M | $94.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $178.7M | $111.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $179.0M | $89.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $180.4M | $108.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $179.7M | $102.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $178.9M | $121.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $180.2M | $100.1M |
| Q4 25 | — | $-33.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.7M | $-2.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.0M | $3.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.0M | $-87.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $432.0K | ||
| Q3 24 | $18.7M | $-5.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $11.4M | $6.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $784.0K | $-6.7M |
| Q4 25 | — | 56.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 60.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 55.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 55.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 58.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 60.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 57.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 54.9% |
| Q4 25 | 11.8% | -36.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.3% | 4.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.5% | 6.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.6% | -97.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 11.0% | -0.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.4% | -0.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 9.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 7.1% | -9.3% |
| Q4 25 | — | -33.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.2% | -2.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.9% | 3.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | -1.1% | -97.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.4% | -5.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.4% | 5.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.4% | -6.7% |
| Q4 25 | $0.12 | $-1.75 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.12 | $-0.11 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.11 | $0.20 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.03 | $-4.62 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.26 | $0.02 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.28 | $-0.30 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.17 | $0.33 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.01 | $-0.35 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $56.2M | $63.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $455.0M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $472.5M | $126.5M |
| Total Assets | $1.1B | $404.0M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.96× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $56.2M | $63.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $55.1M | $65.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $27.7M | $67.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $31.4M | $75.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $50.7M | $56.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $49.6M | $62.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $29.1M | $58.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $31.4M | $61.4M |
| Q4 25 | $455.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $460.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — | ||
| Q1 24 | — | — |
| Q4 25 | $472.5M | $126.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $477.6M | $157.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $483.2M | $159.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $489.9M | $147.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $511.5M | $229.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $502.4M | $234.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $496.9M | $237.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $481.4M | $230.9M |
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $404.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.1B | $414.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.1B | $436.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.1B | $439.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $503.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.1B | $505.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $524.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.1B | $555.7M |
| Q4 25 | 0.96× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.90× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — | ||
| Q1 24 | — | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $37.1M | $-3.2M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $36.7M | $-4.3M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 20.0% | -4.2% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $147.4M | $18.1M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $37.1M | $-3.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $58.8M | $1.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $26.2M | $-3.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $29.5M | $26.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $30.0M | $-1.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $53.8M | $264.0K | ||
| Q2 24 | $35.3M | $-2.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $33.5M | $611.0K |
| Q4 25 | $36.7M | $-4.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $58.3M | $524.0K | ||
| Q2 25 | $23.7M | $-4.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $28.6M | $26.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $29.1M | $-2.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $52.8M | $-223.0K | ||
| Q2 24 | $34.9M | $-3.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $32.8M | $-815.0K |
| Q4 25 | 20.0% | -4.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 32.1% | 0.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 13.3% | -3.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 16.0% | 29.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 16.1% | -2.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 29.4% | -0.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 19.5% | -3.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 18.2% | -0.8% |
| Q4 25 | 0.2% | 1.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.3% | 0.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.4% | 0.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.5% | 0.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.5% | 0.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.5% | 0.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.2% | 0.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.4% | 1.4% |
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 7.68× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.74× | -0.93× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | -4.24× | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.87× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.10× | -0.46× | ||
| Q1 24 | 42.69× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CARS
| Dealer | $164.4M | 89% |
| Sales Channel Through Oem And National | $16.2M | 9% |
| Sales Channel Through Other | $3.3M | 2% |
FORR
| Research Segment | $82.2M | 81% |
| Consulting Segment | $16.2M | 16% |
| Billable Expenses | $1.5M | 2% |
| Professional Services | $1.4M | 1% |
