CarMax, Inc vs IAC/Interactivecorp — how do they compare? CarMax, Inc trades at $52.79 (market cap $7.64B), while IAC/Interactivecorp trades at $40.95 (market cap $3.05B). The key difference: CarMax, Inc is far larger — about 2.5× IAC/Interactivecorp's market cap, and IAC/Interactivecorp is more actively traded (931,019 versus 3,610,116). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold CarMax, Inc for 49 Days and IAC/Interactivecorp for 79 Days on average.
| KMX | PPLI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $7.64B | $3.05B |
Volume | 3,610,116 | 931,019 |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Media |
52-Week High | $64.22 | $47.62 |
52-Week Low | $30.88 | $31.52 |
Typical Hold Time | 49 Days | 79 Days |
Enterprise Value | $25.34B | $3.53B |
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.
PPLI trades at $40.85, up 0.64% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The stock has shown volatile earnings, missing estimates in Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 but beating in Q2 2026. Recent news highlights potential M&A activity, with MGM Resorts considering a bid for the company after PPLI withdrew its own offer to buy MGM, driving significant price movement. Valuation ratios appear attractive with a P/E of 6.92 and P/B of 0.6, though profitability metrics are mixed amid revenue declines from $5.2B in 2022 to $2.4B in 2025.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic due to strong analyst support (71.43% buy ratings) and speculative M&A upside, but risks include inconsistent earnings, high debt levels, and competitive pressures in the media sector. Net cash flow turned deeply negative in 2025 at -$820.42M, underscoring financial volatility. Investors should weigh the low valuation against execution challenges and industry headwinds.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →IAC Inc is an Internet media company with segments that include Angi (47% of total revenue), Dotdash (10%), search (24%), and emerging and other (19%). The firm spun off the narrow-moat dating app provider Match Group in second-quarter 2020 and the no-moat video software provider Vimeo in second-quarter 2021.
Read more on PPLI →