CarMax, Inc vs Southwest Airlines Co — how do they compare? CarMax, Inc trades at $52.72 (market cap $7.64B), while Southwest Airlines Co trades at $41.71 (market cap $20.23B). The key difference: Southwest Airlines Co is far larger — about 2.6× CarMax, Inc's market cap, and Southwest Airlines Co pays a 1.74% dividend while CarMax, Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold CarMax, Inc for 49 Days and Southwest Airlines Co for 65 Days on average.
| KMX | LUV | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $7.64B | $20.23B |
Volume | 3,610,116 | 14,560,422 |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Industrials |
52-Week High | $64.22 | $54.80 |
52-Week Low | $30.88 | $29.67 |
Typical Hold Time | 49 Days | 65 Days |
Enterprise Value | $25.34B | $23.33B |
Dividend Yield | — | 1.74% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CarMax (KMX) trades at $52.61, down 1.26% amid bearish technical signals despite recent earnings beats. The stock shows mixed fundamentals with a P/E of 25.37 and net margin of 1.06%, while revenue trends downward from $31.9B in 2022 to $26.4B in 2025. Recent Q2 2026 earnings of $1.16 per share beat expectations by 58%, driven by 19.5% revenue growth and improved unit sales under the 'Shift into GEAR' strategy.
The outlook remains cautious with analyst consensus at Hold (62%) and $58.89 price target suggesting 12% upside. Key risks include declining profit margins, high debt load ($18.14B long-term), and competitive pressures. Positive catalysts include continued execution of turnaround strategy and November 3 strategic update.
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $41.66, down 0.14% with a bearish technical signal. The stock shows mixed earnings performance with a recent Q2 beat but Q1 miss. Valuation metrics appear reasonable with P/E of 25.85 and P/S of 0.72. The company is undergoing a commercial transformation with new fare structures expected to generate significant EBIT growth, though net margins remain thin at 2.78%. Cash flow trends show improvement projected for 2026 with positive net cash flow of $316M.
LUV presents a turnaround opportunity with its revenue transformation initiatives targeting over $2 billion EBIT in 2026. The 19% upside to consensus price target of $49.61 offers potential reward, but risks include high fuel costs, competitive pressure from legacy carriers, and execution challenges. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 42% buy ratings amid ongoing operational changes.
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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 →Southwest Airlines is the largest domestic carrier in the United States, as measured by the number of originating passengers boarded. Southwest operates over 700 aircraft in an all-Boeing 737 fleet. Despite expanding into longer routes and business travel, the airline still specializes in short-haul leisure flights, using a point-to-point network. Southwest operates a low-cost carrier business model.
Read more on LUV →