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CVNA vs. PAG: Carvana vs. Penske Automotive Stock Comparison

How do Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG) are both classified in the Automotive Retail sub-industry within the broader Specialty Retail industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
Profile ItemCVNAPAG
NameCarvana Co. Class A Common StockPenske Automotive Group Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Discretionary Distribution & RetailConsumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustrySpecialty RetailSpecialty Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryAutomotive RetailAutomotive Retail
Market Capitalization109.76 billion USD13.94 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 28, 2017October 23, 1996
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CVNA
PAG
GSPC
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
Total Return (1Y)23.56%39.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)131.08%16.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)4.89%16.74%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CVNA
PAG
GSPC
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Carvana (CVNA) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.60, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Penske Automotive (PAG) is closer to market-like at 0.90 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)61.26%27.55%
Beta (5Y)3.600.90
Max Drawdown (5Y)-98.76%-24.03%
Avg. Volume (3M)8.89M450.08K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CVNA and PAG are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.311.26
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.462.27

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Carvana (CVNA) at 54.67% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Penske Automotive (PAG) at 15.47% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CVNA.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

54.67%

Max
62.17%
CVNA
54.67%
Q3
29.44%
Median
15.69%
Q1
6.73%
Min
-12.16%

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

15.47%

Max
62.17%
Q3
29.44%
Median
15.69%
PAG
15.47%
Q1
6.73%
Min
-12.16%
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Carvana (CVNA) at 6.22% and Penske Automotive (PAG) at 2.77% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.22%

Max
16.94%
Q3
8.69%
CVNA
6.22%
Median
3.55%
Q1
1.14%
Min
-9.41%

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.77%

Max
16.94%
Q3
8.69%
Median
3.55%
PAG
2.77%
Q1
1.14%
Min
-9.41%
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Carvana (CVNA) at 8.91% and Penske Automotive (PAG) at 3.60% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

8.91%

Max
21.45%
Q3
10.89%
CVNA
8.91%
Median
5.57%
Q1
2.28%
Min
-7.12%

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.60%

Max
21.45%
Q3
10.89%
Median
5.57%
PAG
3.60%
Q1
2.28%
Min
-7.12%
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
ROE (TTM)54.67%15.47%
ROA (TTM)11.98%4.25%
Net Margin (TTM)6.22%2.77%
Operating Margin (TTM)8.91%3.60%
Gross Margin (TTM)19.04%16.05%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Carvana (CVNA) at 48.63% delivers above-range revenue growth, while Penske Automotive (PAG) at -0.18% falls into the bottom quartile — a wide split in revenue momentum.

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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Carvana (CVNA) at 431.45% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Penske Automotive (PAG) at 2.84%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
Revenue Growth (YoY)48.63%-0.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)14.31%4.57%
EPS Growth (YoY)431.45%2.84%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---8.67%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Carvana (CVNA) at 4.05 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Penske Automotive (PAG) at 0.98 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

4.05

CVNA
4.05
Max
2.62
Q3
1.75
Median
1.35
Q1
1.00
Min
0.48

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.98

Max
2.62
Q3
1.75
Median
1.35
Q1
1.00
PAG
0.98
Min
0.48
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Carvana (CVNA) at 1.01 and Penske Automotive (PAG) at 1.53 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.01

Max
3.93
Q3
2.14
Median
1.25
CVNA
1.01
Q1
0.73
Min
0.01

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.53

Max
3.93
Q3
2.14
PAG
1.53
Median
1.25
Q1
0.73
Min
0.01
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
Current Ratio (MRQ)4.050.98
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.011.53
Net Debt / EBITDA0.786.53

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Carvana (CVNA) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Penske Automotive (PAG) reports a yield of 2.70%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
5.84%
Q3
2.50%
CVNA
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.70%

Max
5.84%
PAG
2.70%
Q3
2.50%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Carvana (CVNA) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Penske Automotive (PAG) reports a payout of 41.11%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
72.73%
Q3
32.44%
CVNA
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

41.11%

Max
72.73%
PAG
41.11%
Q3
32.44%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%2.70%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%41.11%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Penske Automotive (PAG) at 14.80 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Carvana (CVNA) at 35.37 sits in the richer quartile — CVNA needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

35.37

Max
40.50
CVNA
35.37
Q3
24.26
Median
19.23
Q1
12.64
Min
4.67

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

14.80

Max
40.50
Q3
24.26
Median
19.23
PAG
14.80
Q1
12.64
Min
4.67
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Penske Automotive (PAG) at 0.43 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Carvana (CVNA) at 4.00 sits in the pricier quartile — CVNA costs more per dollar of sales.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

4.00

Max
4.32
CVNA
4.00
Q3
1.99
Median
0.70
Q1
0.26
Min
0.03

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.43

Max
4.32
Q3
1.99
Median
0.70
PAG
0.43
Q1
0.26
Min
0.03
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Penske Automotive (PAG) at 2.35 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Carvana (CVNA) at 12.20 prices above its benchmark range — CVNA looks rich relative to book.

CVNA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

12.20

CVNA
12.20
Max
10.96
Q3
5.26
Median
2.16
Q1
1.08
Min
-4.45

PAG

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.35

Max
10.96
Q3
5.26
PAG
2.35
Median
2.16
Q1
1.08
Min
-4.45
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Carvana (CVNA) vs. Penske Automotive (PAG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Carvana (CVNA) and Penske Automotive (PAG)
MetricCVNAPAG
P/E Ratio (TTM)35.3714.80
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.000.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)12.202.35
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)0.59%0.69%