By Sam Boughedda
Investing.com — Avis Budget Group Inc (NASDAQ:CAR) shares have rocketed Tuesday morning following a strong third-quarter earnings report, which saw its sales nearly double from a year ago as demand for car rentals comes back.
Avis shares shot up to a high of $545.11 and are currently sitting around the $345 mark, representing a 102% gain after retail traders flocked to the stock.
The strong earnings came following a run-up of short interest in the past few months. Avis stock has already been halted several times for volatility today.
Prior to its third-quarter earnings, the company had already made fantastic gains in 2021, climbing from around $35 per share to its high of $179.82 on Monday.
According to the APE Wisdom website, today's move has seen Avis become one of the top trending stocks on social media and one of the top four most discussed stocks on the Reddit WallStreetBets forum.
In addition, Morgan Stanley analyst Billy Kovanis raised the price target on Avis to $140 from $110. However, the analyst kept an underweight rating on the shares.