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CarGurus Inc (CARG)
NASDAQ:CARG
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CarGurus (CARG) AI Stock Analysis

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CARG

CarGurus

(NASDAQ:CARG)

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Outperform 72 (OpenAI - Gpt-5.6Sol)
Rating:72Outperform
Price Target:
$37.00
▲(1.51% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:09/12/26
The score is driven primarily by strong financial performance—healthy margins and excellent cash generation—supported by a generally constructive earnings outlook with reiterated double-digit revenue growth guidance and strong free-cash-flow conversion. The main drag is weak technical momentum (below key moving averages with negative MACD and low RSI), while valuation appears moderate with no dividend yield provided.
Positive Factors
Strong cash generation
Exceptional cash conversion gives CarGurus internal funding for product development, AI expansion, and other growth initiatives. It also provides resilience against business fluctuations and supports capital returns without relying as heavily on external financing over the next several quarters.
Negative Factors
Revenue volatility
The history of sharp revenue swings shows that CarGurus’ growth profile can be sensitive to industry and operating conditions. This makes future expansion less predictable and increases the risk that recent recovery trends may not translate into consistently compounding revenue.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Strong cash generation
Exceptional cash conversion gives CarGurus internal funding for product development, AI expansion, and other growth initiatives. It also provides resilience against business fluctuations and supports capital returns without relying as heavily on external financing over the next several quarters.
Read all positive factors

CarGurus Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Paying Dealers by Geography
Paying Dealers by Geography
Shows the distribution of paying dealers across different regions, highlighting market penetration and potential areas for expansion or increased competition.
Chart InsightsInternational dealer growth has accelerated and now drives most incremental additions, while the U.S. dealer base is relatively flat and mature. Management ties international momentum to stronger engagement, Digital Deal scale and rising add‑on adoption, so near‑term revenue upside looks more tied to monetizing new products per dealer than to U.S. footprint expansion. That increases upside if adoption continues, but raises execution risk given AI monetization is still nascent and the company is deliberately reinvesting, compressing near‑term margins.
Data provided by:The Fly

CarGurus (CARG) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

CarGurus Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
CarGurus, Inc., established in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2005, manages a prominent online ecosystem for vehicle transactions, serving both buyers and sellers across the United States and internationally. The company's operations are divided into t...
How the Company Makes Money
CarGurus primarily makes money by selling subscription-based products and advertising services to automotive dealers and other industry participants. A core revenue stream comes from dealer subscriptions that provide access to the CarGurus marketp...

CarGurus Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Aug 06, 2026
(Q2-2026)
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% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Nov 10, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call was predominantly positive, supported by double-digit revenue growth, strong cash-flow conversion, international momentum, expanding dealer engagement, successful early AI and product results, raised profitability expectations, and reaffirmed full-year revenue guidance. The main challenges were cautious dealer spending, ongoing dealer economic pressure, higher operating expenses, and year-over-year declines in gross and adjusted EBITDA margins.
Positive Updates
Strong Second-Quarter Revenue and EBITDA Performance
Second-quarter revenue grew 13% year over year to $251 million, above the midpoint of guidance. Adjusted EBITDA increased 7% year over year to $85 million, at the high end of guidance, with a 34% adjusted EBITDA margin.
Negative Updates
Dealer Spending Remained Cautious
Dealers took a more deliberate approach to incremental spending decisions in the first half. Management attributed this to dealer margin pressure, fewer days on lot, pressure on gross profit per vehicle, and FTC-mandated all-in price-transparency requirements.
Read all updates
Q2-2026 Updates
Negative
Strong Second-Quarter Revenue and EBITDA Performance
Second-quarter revenue grew 13% year over year to $251 million, above the midpoint of guidance. Adjusted EBITDA increased 7% year over year to $85 million, at the high end of guidance, with a 34% adjusted EBITDA margin.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
For the third quarter, CarGurus expects revenue to be in the range of $253.5 million to $258.5 million, up between 9% to 12% year over year, respectively; non GAAP adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $82 million to $90 million; non GAAP earnings per share to be in the range of $0.63 to $0.69; and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding to be approximately 90 million. For the full year, it is reiterating that 2026 revenue will grow in the range of 10% to 13% year over year and now expects full year non GAAP adjusted EBITDA margins to compress approximately 50 to 150-basis-points in 2020 relative to 2025.

CarGurus Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong profitability and margins in the TTM period (about 18% net margin and 24% EBIT margin) alongside excellent cash generation (operating cash flow roughly 3.5x net income and strong free cash flow conversion). Offsets include historical revenue volatility and higher leverage versus earlier years, which reduces confidence in durability if conditions soften.
Income Statement
84
Very Positive
Balance Sheet
72
Positive
Cash Flow
90
Very Positive
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue974.32M938.98M894.38M914.24M1.66B951.37M
Gross Profit887.17M835.54M738.95M651.45M657.55M657.36M
EBITDA277.56M235.11M173.27M100.16M167.76M200.01M
Net Income175.94M155.90M20.97M31.10M193.78M109.24M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets555.13M661.90M824.54M918.93M927.10M931.57M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments122.14M190.52M304.19M312.09M469.52M321.94M
Total Debt185.14M190.83M192.74M194.39M66.42M70.70M
Total Liabilities290.77M287.70M282.85M302.07M155.74M251.93M
Stockholders Equity264.36M374.20M541.69M616.85M734.61M516.84M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow309.42M288.90M180.32M83.32M238.84M84.42M
Operating Cash Flow318.72M295.28M255.49M124.53M256.11M98.29M
Investing Cash Flow-27.44M-29.32M-72.97M-61.56M72.73M-68.15M
Financing Cash Flow-401.60M-383.76M-168.63M-253.64M-92.62M17.81M

CarGurus Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price36.45
Price Trends
50DMA
35.58
Negative
100DMA
33.69
Negative
200DMA
33.95
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.71
Positive
RSI
38.67
Neutral
STOCH
11.42
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CARG, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 36.45 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 35.63, above the 50-day MA of 35.58, and above the 200-day MA of 33.95, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.71 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 38.67 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 11.42 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CARG.

CarGurus Risk Analysis

CarGurus disclosed 42 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. CarGurus reported the most risks in the "Ability to Sell" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

CarGurus Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
80
Outperform
$823.20M7.3950.29%1.11%22.75%144.55%
76
Outperform
$1.11B9.9318.61%1.50%-6.82%
75
Outperform
$2.58B5.954.72%8.49%-16.67%-32.32%
72
Outperform
$2.89B17.8156.25%6.01%47.62%
69
Neutral
$2.82B25.806.22%88.60%26.55%
61
Neutral
$18.38B12.79-2.54%3.03%1.52%-15.83%
* Consumer Cyclical Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
CARG
CarGurus
34.43
-1.61
-4.45%
YELP
Yelp
21.28
-9.65
-31.20%
ATHM
AutoHome
21.68
-4.76
-18.01%
TRVG
trivago
5.62
2.24
66.27%
EVER
EverQuote
23.98
-0.55
-2.24%

CarGurus Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
CarGurus Appoints New Chief Financial Officer Mandel
Positive
Sep 3, 2026
CarGurus, Inc., a multinational automotive marketplace operator and software-driven platform for car buyers and dealers, announced on September 3, 2026 that it has appointed Matthew Mandel as Chief Financial Officer, effective October 19, 2026. Ma...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackFinancial DisclosuresPrivate Placements and Financing
CarGurus Amends Credit Facility, Extends Maturity to 2031
Positive
Aug 6, 2026
On August 6, 2026, CarGurus amended its revolving credit facility, cutting total commitments from $400 million to $200 million while extending the facility’s maturity to August 6, 2031. The amendment also raised the cap on its incremental fa...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Sep 12, 2026