CarMax's Profit Climbs
NEW YORK — CarMax Inc. said Tuesday its fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 10% on improved sales.
But it wasn't enough to keep up the recent momentum in the stock, which has been setting all-time highs since the used-vehicle retailer reported strong second-quarter results in September, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Shares of CarMax were down 7% at $33.40 in Tuesday afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
CarMax's results have been driven by its strategy of reinventing the concept of used-care sales, with no-haggle pricing and other customer-friendly draws. Meanwhile, the used-car market held up relatively well during the recession, especially compared to the new-car market, which fell sharply.
For the quarter ended Nov. 30, CarMax reported a profit of $82.4 million, or 36 cents a share, up from $74.6 million, or 33 cents, a year earlier. The year-earlier quarter included nine cents a share of favorable adjustments related to the company's finance arm. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast earnings of 34 cents.
Revenue jumped 23% to $2.12 billion, ahead of the analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. Same-store used-car sales jumped 16% after an 8% gain the year earlier.
More Industry

Pennsylvania Dealership Under New Retailers
The sale of the Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store puts a family auto group on a leaner path as first-time dealers take the helm.
Read More →
Battery Storage Takes Priority Over EVs
U.S. automakers are prioritizing battery energy stationary storage over electric-vehicle production as the consumer demand for EVs lags the rest of the world.
Read More →
Auto Dealers Feel Better But Not Great
A second-quarter Cox Automotive poll of franchised retailers and independents found better views of the current market after a good spring but anticipation of third-quarter storminess.
Read More →
New-Vehicle Sales Picture Relative
A May forecast is complicated by last spring’s trade tariff effects on auto retail. Despite continued hard realities, many consumers took advantage of ways to bite the bullet.
Read More →
Auto Group Acquires Third Nissan Rooftop
Iowa-based Coleman Automotive Group recently acquired its seventh dealership, McGrath Nissan, which it renamed Nissan of Elgin.
Read More →
April Less Affordable
Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Building an Extraordinary F&I Agency
Work to determine your specialized talent, because that fact will determine everything about your agency’s future.
Read More →
Recipe for Compliance
The secret to both amazing barbecue and compliance is the same: understanding the basics and committing to a process.
Read More →
EVs Getting More Attractive
A growing percentage of U.S. consumers are open to switching and fewer are adverse to the idea, according to a recently completed survey. That’s despite the end of a tax break.
Read More →
EV Sales Drop in April Following Surge
North American electric-vehicle sales were down 28% year-over-year, a sharp contrast from global EV sales growth of 6%.
Read More →