CarMax, Inc vs Vanguard Sht-Term Inflation-Protected Sec Idx ETF — how do they compare? CarMax, Inc trades at $52.61 (market cap $7.64B), while Vanguard Sht-Term Inflation-Protected Sec Idx ETF trades at $48.46 (market cap $73.20B). The key difference: Vanguard Sht-Term Inflation-Protected Sec Idx ETF is far larger — about 9.6× CarMax, Inc's market cap, and CarMax, Inc is trading nearer its 52-week high, Vanguard Sht-Term Inflation-Protected Sec Idx ETF nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold CarMax, Inc for 49 Days and Vanguard Sht-Term Inflation-Protected Sec Idx ETF for 91 Days on average.
| KMX | VTIP | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $7.64B | $73.20B |
Volume | 3,610,116 | 2,511,360 |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | — |
52-Week High | $64.22 | $50.46 |
52-Week Low | $30.88 | $48.38 |
Typical Hold Time | 49 Days | 91 Days |
Enterprise Value | $25.34B | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CarMax (KMX) trades at $53.79, up 0.96% with recent earnings beats driving positive momentum. The stock shows bearish technical signals but strong fundamental improvements with Q2 2026 EPS of $1.16 beating estimates by 58%. Revenue grew 19.5% to $7.9 billion in the latest quarter, while the company's Shift into GEAR strategy shows early success. Valuation metrics remain reasonable with P/E of 25.37 and P/S of 0.28, though net margins remain thin at 1.06%.
KMX presents a turnaround story with improving operational execution but faces margin pressure and high debt levels. The consensus price target of $58.89 suggests 9.5% upside potential, though analyst sentiment remains cautious with 62% hold ratings. Key risks include used car market volatility and interest rate sensitivity, while catalysts include continued execution of the growth strategy and potential share buybacks.
VTIP, the Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF, trades at $48.49 with a slight 0.06% daily gain. The technical outlook is bearish overall, with moving averages signaling caution, though oscillators show some bullish momentum. Recent news highlights its role as an inflation hedge amid rising energy prices and Fed rate hikes. The ETF focuses on short-duration TIPS to minimize interest rate risk, attracting institutional interest.
The outlook for VTIP is cautiously positive as a defensive inflation hedge, with real yields at multi-decade highs boosting appeal. However, risks include persistent inflation above the Fed's target and potential volatility from rate decisions. Institutional accumulation supports stability, but the bearish technical trend warrants monitoring for entry points.
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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 →The index is a market-capitalization-weighted index that includes all inflation-protected public obligations issued by the US Treasury with remaining maturities of less than 5 years. The advisor attempts to replicate the target index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the securities that make up the index, holding each security in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the index.
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