What's Going On With Avis Budget Group (CAR) Stock?

Avis Budget Group Inc (NASDAQ:CAR) shares jumped Wednesday, gaining 4.3% to $72.69 during regular trading and rising another 3.2% to $74.99 in after-hours trading. The move came as investors responded to news that billionaire investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management significantly increased its stake in Hertz Global Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:HTZ).

What To Know: Ackman's firm revealed in a late filing that it had accumulated 12.71 million Hertz shares as of Dec. 31, or 4.1% ownership, but a CNBC report later revealed the stake had quietly grown to 19.8%, making Pershing Square the second-largest Hertz shareholder. Ackman reportedly secured a confidential treatment provision from the SEC, allowing him to delay disclosure while building the position.

While Avis and Hertz are direct competitors in the rental car space, if tariffs don't affect used cars (as is reportedly Ackman's thesis), rental fleets could become a safer asset class, which could generally signal broader confidence in the car rental sector.

Rising used car prices or stabilization in that market also improves the value of rental fleets and boosts potential resale margins, a key revenue stream for companies like Hertz and Avis.

Avis shares are also heavily shorted—about 32.5% of shares, according to Benzinga Pro. That means positive news, like Bill Ackman's large investment in Hertz, could spark a short squeeze and push the stock even higher.

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How To Buy CAR Stock

Besides going to a brokerage platform to purchase a share – or fractional share – of stock, you can also gain access to shares either by buying an exchange traded fund (ETF) that holds the stock itself, or by allocating yourself to a strategy in your 401(k) that would seek to acquire shares in a mutual fund or other instrument.

For example, in Avis Budget Group’s case, it is in the Industrials sector. An ETF will likely hold shares in many liquid and large companies that help track that sector, allowing an investor to gain exposure to the trends within that segment.

According to data from Benzinga Pro, CAR has a 52-week high of $132.25 and a 52-week low of $54.03.