CarMax, Inc vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? CarMax, Inc trades at $52.72 (market cap $7.64B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $479.73 (market cap $68.83B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 9× CarMax, Inc's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays a 2.04% 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 Northrop Grumman Corporation for 81 Days on average.
| KMX | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $7.64B | $68.83B |
Volume | 3,610,116 | 1,081,989 |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Industrials |
52-Week High | $64.22 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $30.88 | $473.46 |
Typical Hold Time | 49 Days | 81 Days |
Enterprise Value | $25.34B | $82.81B |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.04% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CarMax (KMX) trades at $52.82, down 0.86% today, with a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The company reported strong Q2 2026 results with EPS of $1.16 beating estimates by 58%, driven by 19.5% revenue growth to $7.9 billion. Valuation metrics show a P/E of 25.37 and P/S of 0.28, while profitability remains modest with 1.06% net margin. Recent news highlights the company's 'Shift into GEAR' turnaround strategy showing early success.
KMX presents a mixed outlook with improving operational performance offset by high debt levels and competitive pressures. The consensus price target of $58.89 suggests 11% upside potential, but analysts remain cautious with 62% hold ratings. Key risks include cyclical auto market exposure and interest rate sensitivity, while catalysts include continued execution of the turnaround strategy and potential share buybacks.
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $480.85, up 1.56% with recent earnings beats but faces technical bearish signals. The company maintains strong fundamentals with $41.95B revenue, 10.48% net margin, and attractive valuation at 15.4 P/E. Recent news highlights both contract wins and competitive losses, including Boeing's $20B Navy fighter award.
Outlook remains positive with analyst consensus at $600.62 target (25% upside) and 54% buy ratings. Key risks include defense contract volatility and competitive pressures, while strong backlog ($104.7B) and dividend growth support long-term value. The stock offers defensive exposure to elevated defense spending cycles.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Northrop Grumman is a defense contractor that is diversified across short-cycle and long-cycle businesses. The firm's segments include aeronautics, mission systems, defense services, and space systems. The company's aerospace segment creates the fuselage for the massive F-35 program and produces various piloted and autonomous flight systems. Mission systems creates a variety of sensors and processors for defense hardware. The defense systems segment is a long-range missile manufacturer. Finally, the company's space systems segment produces various space structures, sensors, and satellites.
Read more on NOC →