Operating margins remain thin and volatile, fluctuating between 3.6% and 11.8% over the last ten quarters despite a structurally high gross margin of 82.4% in 2026Q1.
| Sales/Revenue | 724.44M | 723.24M | 719.15M | 689.18M | 653.88M | 623.68M | 547.5M | 606.68M | 662.13M | 626.26M | 633.11M | 596.51M | 495.95M |
| Revenue Growth % | 0.9% | 0.57% | 4.35% | 5.4% | 4.84% | 13.91% | -9.75% | -8.37% | 5.73% | -1.08% | 6.13% | 20.28% | - |
| Cost of Goods Sold | 123.53M | 122.73M | 124.33M | 122.2M | 114.96M | 114.2M | 101.54M | 99.55M | 90.43M | 139.7M | 129.86M | 116.69M | 115.53M |
| COGS % of Revenue | - | 16.97% | 17.29% | 17.73% | 17.58% | 18.31% | 18.55% | 16.41% | 13.66% | 22.31% | 20.51% | 19.56% | 23.29% |
| Gross Profit | 600.91M | 600.51M | 594.82M | 566.98M | 538.92M | 509.48M | 445.97M | 507.13M | 569.76M | 560.72M | 503.24M | 479.82M | 380.43M |
| Gross Margin % | 82.95% | 83.03% | 82.71% | 82.27% | 82.42% | 81.69% | 81.45% | 83.59% | 86.05% | 89.53% | 79.49% | 80.44% | 76.71% |
| Gross Profit Growth % | - | 0.96% | 4.91% | 5.21% | 5.78% | 14.24% | -12.06% | -10.99% | 1.61% | 11.42% | 4.88% | 26.13% | - |
| Operating Expenses | 530.49M | 540.26M | 541.32M | 512.86M | 472.88M | 461.14M | 1.33B | 953.19M | 487.77M | 352.3M | 326.59M | 322.09M | 358.12M |
| OpEx % of Revenue | - | 74.7% | 75.27% | 74.42% | 72.32% | 73.94% | 243.52% | 157.12% | 73.67% | 56.25% | 51.59% | 54% | 72.21% |
| Selling, General & Admin | 332.59M | 335.06M | 320.21M | 312.28M | 289.47M | 281.9M | 303.16M | 354.06M | 368.47M | 328.88M | 308.03M | 304.77M | 440.4M |
| SG&A % of Revenue | - | 46.33% | 44.53% | 45.31% | 44.27% | 45.2% | 55.37% | 58.36% | 55.65% | 52.51% | 48.65% | 51.09% | 88.8% |
| Research & Development | 28.63M | 0 | 0 | 99.58M | 89.02M | 77.32M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R&D % of Revenue | - | - | - | 14.45% | 13.61% | 12.4% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Operating Expenses | 4M | 205.21M | 221.11M | 101M | 94.39M | 101.93M | 1.03B | 599.13M | 119.3M | 97.59M | 91.64M | 87.54M | 33.24M |
| Operating Income | 70.42M | 60.25M | 53.5M | 54.12M | 66.04M | 48.34M | -887.33M | -446.06M | 83.92M | 134.26M | 176.65M | 157.73M | 22.31M |
| Operating Margin % | 9.72% | 8.33% | 7.44% | 7.85% | 10.1% | 7.75% | -162.07% | -73.52% | 12.67% | 21.44% | 27.9% | 26.44% | 4.5% |
| Operating Income Growth % | - | 12.62% | -1.14% | -18.05% | 36.61% | 105.45% | -98.93% | -631.5% | -37.49% | -24% | 11.99% | 606.88% | - |
| EBITDA | 151.94M | 152.09M | 160.68M | 155.12M | 160.43M | 150.27M | -774.05M | -329.18M | 187.73M | 222.9M | 259.76M | 238.55M | 49.96M |
| EBITDA Margin % | 20.97% | 21.03% | 22.34% | 22.51% | 24.54% | 24.09% | -141.38% | -54.26% | 28.35% | 35.59% | 41.03% | 39.99% | 10.07% |
| EBITDA Growth % | -1.38% | -5.35% | 3.59% | -3.31% | 6.76% | 119.41% | -135.14% | -275.35% | -15.77% | -14.19% | 8.89% | 377.47% | - |
| D&A (Non-Cash Add-back) | 81.52M | 91.84M | 107.18M | 101M | 94.39M | 101.93M | 113.28M | 116.88M | 103.81M | 88.64M | 83.11M | 80.82M | 27.65M |
| EBIT | 74.89M | 95.31M | 94.06M | 50.53M | 57.9M | 48.21M | -898.55M | -444.5M | 84.65M | 134.26M | 176.65M | 157.73M | 22.31M |
| Net Interest Income | -15.48M | -61.01M | -32.2M | -32.42M | -35.32M | -38.73M | -37.86M | -30.77M | -27.72M | -12.37M | 94K | 4K | 0 |
| Interest Income | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94K | 4K | 0 |
| Interest Expense | 15.48M | 61.01M | 32.2M | 32.42M | 35.32M | 38.73M | 37.86M | 30.77M | 27.72M | 12.37M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Income/Expense | -26.17M | -25.94M | 8.37M | -36.01M | -43.46M | -38.85M | -49.08M | -29.22M | -27M | -12.09M | 308K | 105K | 281K |
| Pretax Income | 44.26M | 34.31M | 61.86M | 18.11M | 22.58M | 9.48M | -936.41M | -475.28M | 56.93M | 122.16M | 176.96M | 157.84M | 22.59M |
| Pretax Margin % | 6.11% | 4.74% | 8.6% | 2.63% | 3.45% | 1.52% | -171.03% | -78.34% | 8.6% | 19.51% | 27.95% | 26.46% | 4.56% |
| Income Tax | 17.21M | 14.25M | 13.68M | -100.34M | 5.37M | -1.31M | -119.29M | -29.95M | 18.12M | -102.28M | 588K | 0 | 0 |
| Effective Tax Rate % | 38.89% | 41.55% | 22.11% | -554.19% | 23.79% | -13.79% | 12.74% | 6.3% | 31.83% | -83.73% | 0.33% | 0% | 0% |
| Net Income | 27.04M | 20.05M | 48.19M | 118.44M | 17.21M | 10.79M | -817.12M | -445.32M | 38.81M | 224.44M | 176.37M | 157.84M | 591.6M |
| Net Margin % | 3.73% | 2.77% | 6.7% | 17.19% | 2.63% | 1.73% | -149.24% | -73.4% | 5.86% | 35.84% | 27.86% | 26.46% | 119.28% |
| Net Income Growth % | -40.42% | -58.39% | -59.32% | 588.38% | 59.45% | 101.32% | -83.49% | -1247.48% | -82.71% | 27.26% | 11.74% | -73.32% | - |
| Net Income (Continuing) | 27.04M | 20.05M | 48.19M | 118.44M | 17.21M | 10.79M | -817.12M | -445.32M | 38.81M | 224.44M | 176.37M | 157.84M | 22.59M |
| Discontinued Operations | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 569M |
| Minority Interest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EPS (Diluted) | 0.45 | 0.32 | 0.72 | 1.74 | 0.25 | 0.15 | -12.15 | -6.65 | 0.55 | 3.13 | 2.46 | 2.20 | 8.26 |
| EPS Growth % | -36.14% | -55.56% | -58.62% | 596% | 66.67% | 101.23% | -82.71% | -1309.09% | -82.43% | 27.24% | 11.82% | -73.37% | - |
| EPS (Basic) | - | 0.32 | 0.73 | 1.77 | 0.25 | 0.16 | -12.15 | -6.65 | 0.55 | 3.13 | 2.46 | 2.20 | 8.26 |
| Diluted Shares Outstanding | 59.59M | 61.73M | 67.39M | 68.23M | 69.65M | 71.34M | 67.24M | 67M | 70.55M | 71.73M | 71.6M | 71.6M | 71.6M |
| Basic Shares Outstanding | 58.93M | 60.26M | 66.01M | 66.74M | 68.22M | 71.94M | 67.24M | 67M | 70.32M | 71.66M | 71.59M | 71.59M | 71.6M |
| Dividend Payout Ratio | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 289.61% | - | - | 101.14% |
Stagnant top-line growth
As indicated by recent quarterly filings, CARS has experienced a significant deceleration in top-line performance, with year-over-year revenue growth slowing to a marginal 0.7% in 2026Q1, highlighting the difficulty of scaling the core marketplace model in an increasingly saturated and competitive automotive digital advertising environment.
The company appears to be struggling to find meaningful organic growth levers, as the transition from a legacy listing site to a software-enabled marketplace has yet to yield a breakout in revenue. Investors should monitor whether the current stagnation reflects a structural ceiling in dealer penetration or merely a temporary lull in the broader automotive retail cycle.
Based on the provided financial data, CARS maintains a structurally high gross margin near 83%, yet operating margins remain thin and volatile, fluctuating between 3.6% and 11.8% over the last ten quarters, which suggests limited pricing power and high sensitivity to ongoing customer acquisition costs.
The disparity between gross and operating profitability implies that the company is forced to reinvest a substantial portion of its gross profit back into marketing and platform maintenance to defend its market position. This narrow operating cushion leaves little room for error, as any unexpected increase in competitive spending could rapidly erode the company's bottom-line results.
According to historical income statements, the quality of reported net income appears inconsistent, with significant quarterly swings in EPS—ranging from a $0.03 loss to a $0.28 gain—often driven by non-operating items and fluctuating stock-based compensation expenses that complicate the assessment of true underlying profitability.
The frequent divergence between operating income and net income suggests that investors should focus on normalized metrics rather than headline GAAP figures. The reliance on non-operating adjustments warrants further investigation into whether these items are truly transitory or indicative of a recurring need to manage the bottom line through accounting maneuvers.
As reported in recent financial statements, the company's cost structure is heavily weighted toward SG&A, which consistently consumes a large portion of revenue, suggesting that the business model lacks the operating leverage typically expected from a digital-native platform in the internet content and information sector.
The persistent level of SG&A spending suggests that the company is locked into a high-cost environment required to maintain its search engine visibility and dealer relationships. Without a clear path to reducing these fixed costs relative to revenue, the company may continue to face challenges in expanding its net margin beyond the current low single-digit levels.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying CARS stock.
For fiscal year 2025, Cars.com Inc. (CARS) reported total revenue of $723.2M. This represents a 45.8% increase compared to $496.0M in 2014.
Cars.com Inc. (CARS) is profitable, generating $20.1M in net income for the fiscal year ending 2025 with a net profit margin of 2.8%.
Cars.com Inc. (CARS) reported an operating income of $60.2M, resulting in an operating profit margin of 8.3%. This margin reflects the operational efficiency of the business before interest and taxes.
Cars.com Inc. (CARS) generated $600.5M in gross profit for the year, representing a gross profit margin of 83.0%. This demonstrates the company's core pricing power and production efficiency.