CarMax, Inc vs Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? CarMax, Inc trades at $57.3 (market cap $8.18B), while Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF trades at $99.21. The key difference: Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, CarMax, Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| KMX | VNQ | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.18B | — |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | — |
52-Week High | $63.53 | $100.07 |
52-Week Low | $30.88 | $87.00 |
Enterprise Value | $26.69B | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CarMax (KMX) trades at $57.61, up 0.49% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and a strong ADX signal. Recent Q1 2026 earnings beat expectations, driven by cost control and revenue growth, though net income margins remain thin at 0.84%. The company's four-pillar strategy focuses on volume, digital sales, and efficiency, with positive analyst coverage highlighting value and momentum potential.
The stock's upside is supported by operational improvements and insider buying, but risks include high debt levels, margin pressure, and a pending legal investigation. Analyst consensus is cautious with a $48.91 price target below the current price, suggesting limited near-term upside amid execution risks.
VNQ trades at $99.50, down 0.52% today, with technical indicators showing a bullish moving average trend but neutral oscillators. The ETF holds a dominant position in U.S. real estate with a low expense ratio of 0.13% (The Motley Fool, 2026-07-18). Recent news highlights strong year-to-date performance and comparisons with competing REIT ETFs.
Outlook remains positive due to sector momentum and income appeal, though risks include interest rate sensitivity and potential overvaluation signals from RSI levels. The dividend schedule provides income stability, but macroeconomic factors could pressure near-term performance.
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 →The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small US companies within the real estate sector. The Advisor attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all of its assets in the stocks that make up the index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the index. It is non-diversified.
Read more on VNQ →