Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What is your opinion on CarMax? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: CarMax, $50.97, symbol KMX on New York (Shares outstanding: 193.8 million; Market cap: $9.8 billion, www.carmax.com), operates 158 auto dealerships in 78 cities and is the largest used car retailer in the U.S. Last year it sold 619,936 vehicles. The company also has one of the largest wholesale vehicle auction businesses in the U.S. In the past year, it sold 394,437 cars and trucks through those on-site events. In the three months ended February 29, 2016, CarMax earned $0.75 a share. Excluding one-time items, that’s up 13.6% from $0.66 a year earlier. Revenue rose 5.5%, to $3.7 billion from $3.5 billion. Last year, the company opened 14 new dealerships and relocated another. In just the latest quarter, it opened five stores—three of them in new markets such as Boston and Peoria/Bloomington, Illinois. CarMax plans to open 13 to 16 new locations annually in the next two years. Its expansion costs for this year will total $450 million, mostly for land purchases…