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Carvana's Q4 Earnings and Sales Exceed Estimates, Rise Y/Y

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Used car e-retailer Carvana (CVNA - Free Report) reported fourth-quarter earnings of 56 cents per share, which breezed past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 24 cents and the year-ago quarter’s loss of $1 per share. Better-than-expected volumes and gross profits from wholesale vehicle sales led to the outperformance. Revenues of $3.55 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.33 billion and rose 46.3% year over year.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Carvana Co. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Carvana Co. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Carvana Co. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Carvana Co. Quote

Key Highlights

Total gross profit amounted to $763 million, up 89.8% year over year. Total gross profit per unit (GPU) was $6,671, rising from $5,283 in the year-ago period and exceeding our estimate of $5,945. SG&A expenses were $494 million, up 12.5% year over year. Carvana achieved an adjusted EBITDA of $359 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA margin in the quarter under review was 10.1%, up from 2.5% in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Segmental Performance

Retail vehicle sales totaled $2.55 billion in the quarter, rising 43.6% year over year on the back of higher-than-expected sales volume. However, it lagged our estimate of $2.58 billion. During the reported quarter, the number of vehicles sold to retail customers rose 50.3% to 114,379 from the prior-year period and exceeded our estimate of 112,021 units. Gross profit amounted to $369 million, up 72.4% year over year. Gross profit per unit came in at $3,226, significantly up from $2,812 generated in the year-ago period but missed our expectation of the $3,278.

In the fourth quarter, wholesale vehicle sales totaled $678 million, up 35.9% year over year. Sales breezed past our estimate of $531.5 million amid higher-than-expected unit sales. During the reported quarter, the number of vehicles sold to wholesale customers soared 43% to 48,770 from the prior-year period but lagged our estimate of 56,392 units. Gross profit came in at $77 million, rocketing 92.5% from the corresponding quarter of 2023. GPU came in at $674, up 28.1% year over year and above our estimate of $563.

In the period under consideration, other sales and revenues rose 114.2% year over year to $317 million and beat our forecast of $263.8 million. Gross profit was $317 million, up 114.2% year over year. GPU came in at $2,771, up 42.5% year over year. It beat our estimate of $2,104.

Financial Position

Carvana had cash and cash equivalents of $1.72 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024, compared with $530 million as of Dec. 31, 2023. Long-term debt was $5.26 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024, compared with $5.42 billion recorded on Dec. 31, 2023.

Q1 & 2025 Outlook

Carvana expects significant growth in both retail units sold and Adjusted EBITDA in full year 2025, including a sequential rise in both retail units sold and Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2025, if the environment remains stable. 

Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

CVNA currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks in the auto space are Dana (DAN - Free Report) , Garrett Motion (GTX - Free Report) and Custom Truck One Source (CTOS - Free Report) . While DAN sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present, GTX and CTOS carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DAN’s 2025 earnings has moved north 15.4% over the past 30 days and suggests year-over-year growth of 79.17%. It is currently pegged at $1.50 per share.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GTX’s 2025 earnings has moved up by 1 cent over the past 30 days and suggests year-over-year growth of 17.92%. It is currently pegged at $1.25 per share.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CTOS’ 2025 loss has remained steady at 5 cents per share over the past 90 days and suggests year-over-year growth of 75.05%.

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