Applied Digital Corporation vs CarMax, Inc — how do they compare? Applied Digital Corporation trades at $31.03 (market cap $8.55B), while CarMax, Inc trades at $58.23 (market cap $8.26B). The key difference: Applied Digital Corporation and CarMax, Inc are close in size by market cap, and CarMax, Inc is trading nearer its 52-week high, Applied Digital Corporation nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| APLD | KMX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.55B | $8.26B |
Sector | Technology | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $49.65 | $62.17 |
52-Week Low | $13.89 | $30.88 |
Enterprise Value | $12.06B | $26.77B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Digital (APLD) trades at $30.89, up 6.3% today, with a neutral technical signal despite recent earnings misses. The company shows explosive revenue growth potential with $36 billion in contracted AI infrastructure deals, though current financials reveal significant losses with a -39.91% net margin. Analyst sentiment remains strongly bullish with 100% buy ratings and a $72.36 consensus target.
The stock presents high-risk, high-reward potential with massive contracted revenue offset by current negative profitability and substantial financing needs. Key catalysts include data center build-out execution, while risks include debt load expansion and competitive pressures in the AI infrastructure space.
CarMax (KMX) trades at $58.20, showing modest near-term weakness with a 0.99% daily decline. The stock maintains a bullish technical stance with strong moving average support and trades near key support at $58. Fundamentally, the company reported Q1 2026 earnings beat with $0.34 EPS versus $0.23 expected, though revenue trends show slight contraction from $26.4B in 2025 to projected $26.3B in 2026. Recent positive developments include AI partnership enhancements and strong institutional recognition.
CarMax presents a mixed investment case with technical strength offset by fundamental challenges. The bullish moving average configuration and recent earnings beats provide near-term support, but declining revenue trends and thin 0.84% net margin limit upside potential. Key risks include ongoing fiduciary investigations and competitive pressure in the used car market. Analyst consensus remains cautious with 68.6% hold ratings and $53.09 price target below current levels.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Applied Digital provides high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and cloud services. It designs and operates data centers tailored for AI, machine learning, and other intensive digital workloads across North America.
Read more on APLD →CarMax sells, finances, and services used and new cars through a chain of over 230 used retail stores. It was formed in 1993 as a unit of Circuit City and spun off into an independent company in late 2002. Used-vehicle sales typically account for about 83% of revenue and wholesale about 13%, with the remaining portion composed of extended service plans and repair. In fiscal 2022, the company retailed and wholesaled 924,338 and 706,212 used vehicles, respectively. CarMax is the largest used-vehicle retailer in the U.S. but still estimates that it has only about 4% U.S. market share of vehicles 0-10 years old in 2021. It seeks over 5% share by the end of calendar 2025 and revenue between $33 billion to $45 billion by fiscal 2026. CarMax is based in Richmond, Virginia.
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