Vehicle Retailer Q3 Earnings: Camping World (NYSE:CWH) is the Best in the Biz

Earnings results often give us a good indication of what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q3 now behind us, let’s have a look at Camping World (NYSE:CWH) and its peers.

Buying a vehicle is a big decision and usually the second-largest purchase behind a home for many people, so retailers that sell new and used cars try to offer selection, convenience, and customer service to shoppers. While there is online competition, especially for research and discovery, the vehicle sales market is still very fragmented and localized given the magnitude of the purchase and the logistical costs associated with moving cars over long distances. At the end of the day, a large swath of the population relies on cars to get from point A to point B, and vehicle sellers are acutely aware of this need.

The 4 vehicle retailer stocks we track reported a decent Q3; on average, revenues missed analyst consensus estimates by 0.8% Investors abandoned cash-burning companies to buy stocks with higher margins of safety, but vehicle retailer stocks held their ground better than others, with the share prices up 9.2% on average since the previous earnings results.

Best Q3: Camping World (NYSE:CWH)

Founded in 1966 as a single recreational vehicle (RV) dealership, Camping World (NYSE:CWH) still sells RVs along with boats and general merchandise for outdoor activities.

Camping World reported revenues of $1.73 billion, down 6.8% year on year, topping analyst expectations by 1.7%. It was a stunning quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts' earnings estimates.

Marcus Lemonis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Camping World Holdings, Inc. stated, “We are laser focused on the final stages of cleansing our inventory going into 2024. These actions have come with near-term gross margin compression, but we believe now is the moment to put the finishing touches on our industry-leading inventory position and prepare the business for the next up-cycle. In 2024, we expect total company revenue, same store unit sales, total gross margin, and earnings to increase year over year.”

Camping World pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat but had the slowest revenue growth of the whole group. The stock is up 48% since the results and currently trades at $25.57.

Is now the time to buy Camping World? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.

Lithia (NYSE:LAD)

With a strong presence in the Western US, Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) sells a wide range of vehicles, including new and used cars, trucks, SUVs, and luxury vehicles from various manufacturers.

Lithia reported revenues of $8.28 billion, up 13.5% year on year, outperforming analyst expectations by 1.3%. It was a mixed quarter for the company, with a decent beat of analysts' revenue estimates but a miss of analysts' earnings estimates.

Lithia delivered the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 18.4% since the results and currently trades at $295.73.

Is now the time to buy Lithia? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.

Weakest Q3: America's Car-Mart (NASDAQ:CRMT)

With a strong presence in the Southern and Central US, America’s Car-Mart (NASDAQ:CRMT) sells used cars to budget-conscious consumers.

America's Car-Mart reported revenues of $361.6 million, up 3.1% year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 3.8%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with a miss of analysts' revenue estimates. Most worrying was a huge step-up in provision for credit losses, which impacted margins and EPS.

America's Car-Mart had the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. The stock is down 22.1% since the results and currently trades at $62.93.

Read our full analysis of America's Car-Mart's results here.

CarMax (NYSE:KMX)

Known for its transparent, customer-centric approach and wide selection of vehicles, Carmax (NYSE:KMX) is the largest automotive retailer in the United States.

CarMax reported revenues of $6.15 billion, down 5.5% year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 2.5%. It was a mixed quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts' earnings estimates but a miss of analysts' revenue estimates.

The stock is down 7.4% since the results and currently trades at $69.15.

Read our full, actionable report on CarMax here, it's free.

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The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned