CarMax Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Results

Second Quarter Highlights:⁽¹⁾

• Retail used unit sales decreased 5.4% and comparable store used unit sales decreased 6.3%; wholesale units decreased 2.2%.
• Solid unit margins with gross profit per retail used unit of $2,216, gross profit per wholesale unit of $993, and Extended Protection Plans (EPP) margin per retail unit of $576, all in line with the prior year’s second quarter.
• Bought 293,000 vehicles from consumers and dealers, a decrease of 2.4%.
  • 262,000 vehicles were purchased from consumers, down 2.7%
  • 31,000 vehicles were purchased through dealers, up 0.2%
• SG&A decreased 1.6% to $601.1 million.
• Established plans for incremental SG&A reductions of at least $150 million over the next 18 months.
• CarMax Auto Finance (CAF) income decreased 11.2% to $102.6 million as an increase in the provision for loan losses outweighed growth in the net interest margin percentage.
• Net earnings per diluted share of $0.64 versus $0.85 a year ago.
• Repurchased $180.0 million in shares of common stock, continuing our accelerated quarterly pace compared to fiscal year 2025.
• Launched a new brand positioning campaign in late August. The new “Wanna Drive?” tagline brings the omni-channel experience to life and emphasizes that CarMax customers are empowered to buy their way, with clarity, confidence and control.

CEO Commentary:

“While this was a challenging quarter, we remain confident in our long-term strategy and the strength of the earnings model that we have built. We are excited about the recent launch of our new brand positioning campaign `Wanna Drive?' that brings our differentiated omni-channel experience to life and underscores our ongoing commitment to empowering the customer. Also, we will continue to drive SG&A efficiency, targeting at least $150 million in incremental SG&A reductions over the next 18 months,” said Bill Nash, president and chief executive officer.

Second Quarter Business Performance Review:

Sales. Combined retail and wholesale used vehicle unit sales were 338,031, a decrease of 4.1% from the prior year’s second quarter.

Total retail used vehicle unit sales decreased 5.4% to 199,729 compared to the prior year’s second quarter. Comparable store used unit sales decreased 6.3% from the prior year’s second quarter. Total retail used vehicle revenues decreased 7.2% compared with the prior year’s second quarter, primarily driven by the decrease in retail used units sold.

Total wholesale vehicle unit sales decreased 2.2% to 138,302 versus the prior year’s second quarter. Total wholesale revenues declined 0.4% compared with the prior year’s second quarter driven by the decrease in wholesale units sold, partially offset by an increase in the average wholesale selling price of approximately $125 per unit or 1.6%.

We bought 293,000 vehicles from consumers and dealers, down 2.4% compared to last year’s second quarter. Of these vehicles, 262,000 were bought from consumers and 31,000 were bought through dealers, a decrease of 2.7% and an increase of 0.2%, respectively, from last year’s second quarter.

Other sales and revenues decreased by 4.2%, or $7.6 million, compared with the second quarter of fiscal 2025, primarily reflecting a decrease in EPP revenues driven by a decrease in retail unit sales.

Our digital capabilities supported 80% of retail unit sales. Omni sales⁽²⁾ were 68% and online retail sales⁽³⁾ accounted for 12% of retail unit sales.

Gross Profit. Total gross profit was $717.7 million, down 5.6% versus last year’s second quarter. Retail used vehicle gross profit decreased 7.6% and retail gross profit per used unit was $2,216, in line with the prior year’s second quarter.

Wholesale vehicle gross profit decreased 0.4% versus the prior year’s second quarter. Gross profit per unit was $993, consistent with last year’s second quarter.

Other gross profit decreased 4.2% primarily reflecting a reduction in EPP revenues due to lower retail unit sales.

SG&A. Compared with the second quarter of fiscal 2025, SG&A expenses decreased 1.6% or $9.5 million to $601.1 million, primarily driven by a reduction in share-based compensation, which largely reflected changes in the company’s share price. The continued realization of expense efficiencies were offset by cost pressures in the quarter. SG&A as a percent of gross profit was 83.8% in the second quarter compared to 80.3% in the prior year’s second quarter, driven by the decline in gross profit.

We have established plans for SG&A reductions of at least $150 million over the next 18 months. We expect to realize some of these savings in fiscal 2026, with the vast majority materializing in our exit rate by the end of fiscal 2027.

CarMax Auto Finance.⁽⁴⁾ CAF income decreased 11.2% to $102.6 million as an increase in the provision for loan losses outweighed growth in CAF’s net interest margin percentage. This quarter’s provision for loan losses was $142.2 million compared to $112.6 million in the prior year’s second quarter. The provision for loan losses in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 included an increase of $71.3 million in our estimate of lifetime losses on existing loans, primarily due to worsening performance among the 2022 and 2023 vintages. Despite the worsening performance, these vintages remain highly profitable. As a result of the previously disclosed tightening of CAF’s underwriting standards, the vintages originated after April 2024 are performing in line with expectations. The remaining $70.9 million reflected our estimate of lifetime losses on current quarter originations. There was a reduction in this quarter’s provision due to the release of $15.7 million for the allowance previously recorded for loans that are now classified as held for sale.

As of August 31, 2025, the allowance for loan losses of $507.3 million was 3.02% of auto loans held for investment, up from 2.76% as of May 31, 2025.

CAF’s total interest margin percentage, which represents the spread between interest and fees charged to consumers and our funding costs, was 6.6% of average auto loans outstanding, which includes held for investment and held for sale, up 50 basis points from the prior year’s second quarter. After the effect of 3-day payoffs, CAF financed 42.6% of units sold in the current quarter, up from 42.0% in the prior year’s second quarter. CAF’s weighted average contract rate was 11.2% in the quarter, down from 11.5% the second quarter last year.

Subsequent to the end of the second quarter, on September 24, 2025, we executed our second non-prime securitization transaction this calendar year. This was upsized to $900 million in total notes and for the first time included the sale of most of the residual financial interest in the transaction to third party investors, thus resulting in off-balance sheet treatment. We expect the gain on sale to be approximately $25 million to $30 million in third quarter income. We also expect to receive approximately $40 million to $45 million in additional CAF income related to servicing fees and the retained beneficial interest over the life of the transaction. Going forward, there will be no loss allowance or provision for this pool of loans.

Share Repurchase Activity. During the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, we repurchased 2.9 million shares of common stock for $180.0 million. As of August 31, 2025, we had $1.56 billion remaining available for repurchase under the outstanding authorization.

Location Openings. During the second quarter of fiscal 2026, we opened three new store locations in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, El Cajon, California, and Hagerstown, Maryland. We also opened one stand-alone reconditioning/auction center located in New Kent County, Virginia supporting the Richmond metro market.

Supplemental Financial Information

Amounts and percentage calculations may not total due to rounding.

Sales Components

Unit Sales

Average Selling Prices

Vehicle Sales Changes

Comparable Store Used Vehicle Sales Changes ⁽¹⁾

Used Vehicle Financing Penetration by Channel (Before the Impact of 3-day Payoffs) ⁽¹⁾

Selected Operating Ratios

Gross Profit ⁽¹⁾

Gross Profit per Unit ⁽¹⁾

SG&A Expenses ⁽¹⁾

Components of CAF Income and Other CAF Information