Estee Lauder Companies Inc vs CarMax, Inc — how do they compare? Estee Lauder Companies Inc trades at $96.46 (market cap $34.17B), while CarMax, Inc trades at $54 (market cap $7.64B). The key difference: Estee Lauder Companies Inc is far larger — about 4.5× CarMax, Inc's market cap, and Estee Lauder Companies Inc pays a 1.48% dividend while CarMax, Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Estee Lauder Companies Inc for 122 Days and CarMax, Inc for 49 Days on average.
| EL | KMX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $34.17B | $7.64B |
Volume | 3,921,497 | 3,610,116 |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $119.61 | $64.22 |
52-Week Low | $67.23 | $30.88 |
Typical Hold Time | 122 Days | 49 Days |
Enterprise Value | $39.92B | $25.34B |
Dividend Yield | 1.48% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Estée Lauder (EL) trades at $94.45, up 1.17% with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The company shows improving earnings momentum with three consecutive quarterly beats, though 2025 results showed a net loss of $1.13B on $14.33B revenue. Analyst consensus is mixed with 48% buy ratings and a $103 price target, while recent news highlights AI partnerships and leadership changes driving strategic repositioning.
The stock presents a turnaround opportunity with strong brand positioning and digital initiatives, but faces execution risks from recent profitability challenges and high debt levels. Near-term catalysts include Q3 earnings and continued margin recovery, though competitive pressures and macroeconomic sensitivity remain headwinds for the luxury beauty sector.
CarMax (KMX) trades at $53.28, down 3.64% amid bearish technical signals despite recent earnings beats. The stock shows mixed fundamentals with strong revenue growth (Q2 2026 revenue up 19.5% to $7.9B) but thin net margins (1.06%). Analyst consensus leans cautious with 62% hold ratings, though price targets suggest 10.5% upside to $58.89. Recent leadership appointments and strategic updates signal management's focus on growth execution.
Outlook hinges on CarMax's ability to sustain unit sales momentum while improving profitability. The stock offers value appeal (P/S 0.28) but faces execution risks from high debt ($18.1B long-term) and competitive pressures. Near-term catalysts include November's strategic webcast and Q3 earnings.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
No sentiment data available yet.
Latest headlines on both assets
Estee Lauder is the world leader in the global prestige beauty market, participating across skincare (56% of fiscal 2022 sales), makeup (26%), fragrance (14%), and haircare (4%) categories, with popular brands such as Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer, Jo Malone, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced, Origins, Dr. Jart+, and The Ordinary. The firm operates in 150 countries, with 26% of fiscal 2022 revenue stemming from the Americas, 43% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 31% from Asia-Pacific. The company sells its products through department stores, travel retail, multi-brand specialty beauty stores, brand-dedicated freestanding stores, e-commerce, salons/spas, and perfumeries.
Read more on EL →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.
Read more on KMX →