CF Industries Holdings, Inc. vs CarMax, Inc — how do they compare? CF Industries Holdings, Inc. trades at $118.04 (market cap $18.38B), while CarMax, Inc trades at $58.03 (market cap $8.34B). The key difference: CF Industries Holdings, Inc. is far larger — about 2.2× CarMax, Inc's market cap, and CF Industries Holdings, Inc. pays a 1.98% dividend while CarMax, Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CF | KMX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.38B | $8.34B |
Sector | Basic Materials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $137.55 | $62.17 |
52-Week Low | $76.08 | $30.88 |
Enterprise Value | $19.52B | $26.85B |
Dividend Yield | 1.98% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CF Industries Holdings (CF) trades at $114.35, down 2.04% today, reflecting a bearish technical trend with support at $112 and resistance at $116. The company reported mixed Q2 2026 earnings, missing EPS estimates at $4.73 versus $5.63 expected, but revenue grew 17.6% year-over-year on strong nitrogen pricing. Fundamentals remain solid with a P/E of 8.48 and net income margin of 27.12%, while cash flow improved to $368 million in 2025. Recent news highlights institutional buying and nitrogen market tightness supporting mid-cycle earnings.
Outlook is cautiously optimistic; CF benefits from robust nitrogen demand and pricing, with analyst consensus target at $119.60 implying upside. Risks include volume volatility from plant outages and debt levels, but high ROE (39.19%) and dividend payments signal financial health. Investors may find value at current levels if operational execution aligns with favorable industry conditions.
CarMax (KMX) trades at $58.18, up 0.21% today, with a bullish technical signal supported by moving averages. The stock shows mixed earnings performance, beating expectations in Q3 2025 and Q1 2026 but missing in Q2 2025. Revenue has declined from $31.9B in 2022 to $26.35B in 2025, while net income margin improved slightly to 1.89%. Recent news includes partnerships to enhance customer experience and ongoing legal investigations into fiduciary duties.
Outlook is cautious with a consensus price target of $53.09 below the current price, indicating potential downside. Opportunities lie in operational improvements and AI integrations, but risks include high debt, competitive pressures, and legal scrutiny. Analyst sentiment is neutral with 68.58% hold ratings, suggesting wait-and-see approach amid volatility.
Trailing returns across standard periods
CF Industries is a leading producer and distributor of nitrogen fertilizers. The company operates seven nitrogen facilities in North America and holds joint venture interests in further production capacity in the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. CF makes nitrogen primarily using low-cost U.S. natural gas as its feedstock, making CF one of the lowest-cost nitrogen producers globally.
Read more on CF →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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