Marketplace revenue growth accelerated to 8% YoY in the third quarter with similarly high single-digit YoY growth expected in the fourth quarter

GAAP consolidated net income was $19.0 million; Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA was $48.6 million, exceeding high-end of guidance range

UK business achieved profitability, making us EBITDA profitable in all countries with operations

CarGurus’ Board of Directors authorized $250.0 million share repurchase program commencing in 2024

CarGurus acquires the remaining minority equity interests in CarOffer, LLC

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CarGurus, Inc. (Nasdaq: CARG), a multinational, online automotive platform for buying and selling vehicles, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023.

"We are pleased to have exceeded our forecasted consolidated adjusted EBITDA guidance range for the quarter," said Jason Trevisan, Chief Executive Officer at CarGurus. “Marketplace revenue growth accelerated to nearly 8% year-over-year driven by outperformance in our foundational Listings business, where we continued to focus on QARSD growth levers to drive greater revenue expansion and long-term growth. Our advancements in Digital Retail and Digital Wholesale demonstrate our progress toward being the only end-to-end automotive transaction-enabled platform. We are excited by the trajectory of our platform and rapid innovation and are pleased to announce that our Board has authorized a $250 million share repurchase program, which underscores our commitment to using our strong cash flow to enhance shareholder value. Looking ahead, we believe our accomplishments and trend lines exiting this year, coupled with our decision to accelerate our purchase of the remaining stake in CarOffer, set the stage for continued financial growth and innovation in 2024 that will serve well our dealer partners and largest consumer audience."

Third Quarter Financial Highlights

• Total revenue of $219.4 million, a decrease of (49)% year-over-year.
  • Marketplace revenue was $177.9 million, an increase of 8% year-over-year.
  • Wholesale revenue was $21.7 million, a decrease of (54)% year-over-year.
  • Product revenue was $19.8 million, a decrease of (91)% year-over-year.
• GAAP consolidated net income of $19.0 million, an increase of 1% year-over-year; non-GAAP consolidated net income of $37.5 million, an increase of 81% year-over-year.
• GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders of $22.3 million, or $0.17 per fully diluted share, an increase of 79% year-over-year; non-GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders of $38.3 million, or $0.34 per fully diluted share, an increase of 40% year-over-year.
• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP metric, of $48.6 million, an increase of 48% year-over-year.
• Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP metric, of $49.1 million, an increase of 26% year-over-year.
• Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments of $447.2 million.

Third Quarter Business Metrics^(1)(2)(3)

• U.S. Marketplace segment revenue was $164.3 million, an increase of 6% year-over-year. U.S. Marketplace segment operating income was $33.3 million, a decrease of (4)% year-over-year.
• Digital Wholesale segment revenue was $41.5 million, a decrease of (84)% year-over-year. Digital Wholesale segment operating loss was $(11.7) million, an increase of 224% year-over-year.
• Total paying dealers were 31,191 as of September 30, 2023, roughly flat year-over-year. Of the total paying dealers as of September 30, 2023, U.S. and International accounted for 24,368 and 6,823, respectively, a decrease of (1)% and an increase of 3%, respectively, year-over-year.
• Quarterly Average Revenue per Subscribing Dealer (“QARSD”) in the U.S. was $6,332 as of September 30, 2023, an increase of 9% year-over-year. QARSD in International markets was $1,721 as of September 30, 2023, an increase of 14% year-over-year.
• Website traffic and consumer engagement metrics for the third quarter of 2023 were as follows:
  • U.S. average monthly unique users were 31.7 million, an increase of 8% year-over-year.
  • U.S. average monthly sessions were 83.9 million, an increase of 11% year-over-year.
  • International average monthly unique users were 7.0 million, an increase of 4% year-over-year.
  • International average monthly sessions were 16.0 million, an increase of 6% year-over-year.
• Transactions were 13,562, a decrease of (66)% year-over-year.

Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Guidance

CarGurus anticipates total revenue, product revenue, non-GAAP Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, and non-GAAP earnings per share ("EPS") to be in the following ranges:

Fourth Quarter 2023:

Full-Year 2023:

The fourth quarter and full-year 2023 non-GAAP EPS calculation assumes 113.5 million and 114.6 million, respectively diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding.

The assumptions that are built into guidance for the fourth quarter and full-year 2023 regarding our pace of paid dealer acquisition, churn, and expansion activity for the relevant period are based on recent market behaviors and industry conditions. Guidance for the fourth quarter and full-year 2023 excludes macro-level industry issues that result in dealers and consumers materially changing their recent market behaviors or that cause us to enact measures to assist dealers. Guidance also excludes adjustments to the carrying value of redeemable noncontrolling interests resulting from potential changes in the redemption value of such interests, and any potential impact of foreign currency exchange gains or losses.

CarGurus has not reconciled its guidance of non-GAAP consolidated adjusted EBITDA to GAAP consolidated net income or non-GAAP consolidated EPS to GAAP consolidated EPS because reconciling items between such GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures, which include, as applicable, stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, impairment of long-lived assets, depreciation expenses, non-intangible amortization, other (income) expense, net, the provision for income taxes, income tax effects, and adjustments to the carrying value of redeemable noncontrolling interests resulting from changes in the redemption value of such interests, cannot be reasonably predicted due to, as applicable, the timing, amount, valuation and number of future employee equity awards, and the uncertainty relating to the timing, frequency, and effect of acquisitions and the significance of the resulting acquisition-related expenses, including adjustments to the carrying value of redeemable noncontrolling interests resulting from potential changes in the redemption value of such interests, and therefore cannot be determined without unreasonable effort. For more information regarding the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this press release, please see the reconciliations of GAAP financial measures to non-GAAP financial measures and the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Business Metrics” below.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

CarGurus will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss its third quarter 2023 financial results and business outlook at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time today, November 7, 2023. To access the conference call, dial (877) 451-6152 for callers in the U.S. or Canada, or (201) 389-0879 for international callers. The webcast will be available live on the Investors section of CarGurus’ website at https://investors.cargurus.com.

An audio replay of the call will also be available to investors beginning at approximately 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time today, November 7, 2023, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 14, 2023, by dialing (844) 512-2921 for callers in the U.S. or Canada, or (412) 317-6671 for international callers, and entering passcode 13741082. In addition, an archived webcast will be available on the Investors section of CarGurus’ website at https://investors.cargurus.com.

About CarGurus

CarGurus (Nasdaq: CARG) is a multinational, online automotive platform for buying and selling vehicles that is building upon its industry-leading listings marketplace with both digital retail solutions and the CarOffer digital wholesale platform. The CarGurus platform gives consumers the confidence to purchase and/or sell a vehicle either online or in-person, and it gives dealerships the power to accurately price, effectively market, instantly acquire, and quickly sell vehicles, all with a nationwide reach. The Company uses proprietary technology, search algorithms, and data analytics to bring trust, transparency, and competitive pricing to the automotive shopping experience. CarGurus is the most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S.¹

¹Source: SimilarWeb: Traffic Report, Q3 2023, U.S.

CarGurus also operates online marketplaces under the CarGurus brand in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the United States and the United Kingdom, CarGurus also operates the Autolist and PistonHeads online marketplaces, respectively, as independent brands.

To learn more about CarGurus, visit www.cargurus.com, and for more information about CarOffer, visit www.caroffer.com.

CarGurus® is a registered trademark of CarGurus, Inc., and CarOffer® is a registered trademark of CarOffer, LLC. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

© 2023 CarGurus, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Other than statements of historical facts, all statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial and business performance for the fourth quarter 2023 and fiscal 2024; expected completion of our acquisition of the remaining interest in CarOffer (the "Transaction") and the time frame in which this will occur; our ability to quickly make transformations necessary for our business to achieve long-term goals; and the impact of macro-level issues on our industry, business, and financial results, are forward-looking statements. The words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “guide,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions and their negatives are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives and financial needs. You should not place undue reliance on these statements.

These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including, without limitation, risks related to our growth and our ability to grow our revenue; the possibility that certain closing conditions to the Transaction will not be satisfied; uncertainty as to whether the anticipated benefits of the Transaction can be achieved; risks of unexpected hurdles, costs, or delays; the potential impact on our or CarOffer’s business due to the announcement of the Transaction; the occurrence of any event, change, or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Membership Interest Purchase Agreement entered into in connection with the Transaction; our relationships with dealers; competition in the markets in which we operate; market growth; our ability to innovate; our ability to realize benefits from our acquisitions and successfully implement the integration strategies in connection therewith; global supply chain challenges, increased inflation and interest rates, and other macroeconomic issues; the material weakness identified in our internal controls over financial reporting; changes in our key personnel; natural disasters, epidemics, or pandemics; and our ability to operate in compliance with applicable laws, as well as other risks and uncertainties as may be detailed from time to time in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, we operate in very competitive and rapidly changing environments. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, we cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance, achievements, or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will occur. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations, except as required by law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Investor Contact:
Kirndeep Singh
Vice President, Investor Relations
investors@cargurus.com

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Business Metrics

To supplement our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States ("GAAP"), we provide investors with certain non-GAAP financial measures and other business metrics, which we believe are helpful to our investors. We use these non-GAAP financial measures and other business metrics for financial and operational decision-making purposes and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures and other business metrics provide useful information about our operating results, enhance the overall understanding of past financial performance, and future prospects and allow for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.

The presentation of non-GAAP financial information and other business metrics is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. While our non-GAAP financial measures and other business metrics are an important tool for financial and operational decision-making and for evaluating our own operating results over different periods of time, we urge investors to review the reconciliation of these financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures included above, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

While a reconciliation of non-GAAP guidance measures to corresponding GAAP measures is not available on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort due to, as applicable, the timing, amount, valuation and number of future employee equity awards, and the uncertainty relating to the timing, frequency and effect of acquisitions and the significance of the resulting acquisition-related expenses, including adjustments to the carrying value of redeemable noncontrolling interests resulting from potential changes in the redemption value of such interests, we have provided a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures and other business metrics to the nearest comparable GAAP measures in the accompanying financial statement tables included in this press release.

We monitor operating measures of certain non-GAAP items including non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP expense, non-GAAP consolidated net income, non-GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders, and non-GAAP net income per share attributable to common stockholders. These non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of stock-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets. Non-GAAP consolidated net income, non-GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders, and non-GAAP net income per share attributable to common stockholders also exclude certain income tax effects and adjustments. Non-GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders and non-GAAP net income per share attributable to common stockholders also exclude non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests. We define non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests as net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests, adjusted to exclude: stock-based compensation expenses and amortization of intangible assets. These exclusions are adjusted for redeemable noncontrolling interest. Our calculations of non-GAAP net income per share attributable to common stockholders utilize applicable GAAP share counts as included in the accompanying financial statement tables included in this press release. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about our operating results, enhance the overall understanding of past financial performance and future prospects and allow for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.

We define Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA as consolidated net income, adjusted to exclude: depreciation and amortization, impairment of long-lived assets, stock-based compensation expense, other (income) expense, net, and provision for income taxes. We define Adjusted EBITDA as Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA adjusted to exclude Adjusted EBITDA attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest. We define Adjusted EBITDA attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest as net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest, adjusted to exclude: depreciation and amortization, impairment of long-lived assets, stock-based compensation expense, other expense, net, and provision for income taxes. These exclusions are adjusted for redeemable noncontrolling interest of 38% by taking the noncontrolling interest's full financial results and multiplying each line item in the reconciliation by 38%. The Company notes that it uses 38%, versus 49%, to allocate the share of income (loss) because it represents the portion attributable to the redeemable noncontrolling interest. The 38% is exclusive of CO Incentive Units, Subject Units, and 2021 Incentive Units (each as defined in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K as of December 31, 2022 filed on March 1, 2023) liability classified awards which do not participate in the share of income (loss).

We have presented Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, because they are key measures used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans, and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that the exclusion of certain items in calculating Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA can produce a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our business. We have presented Adjusted EBITDA attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest because it is used by our management to reconcile Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA. It represents the portion of Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA that is attributable to our noncontrolling interest. Adjusted EBITDA attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest is not intended to be reviewed on its own.

We define Free Cash Flow as cash flow from operations, adjusted to include purchases of property and equipment and capitalization of website development costs. We have presented Free Cash Flow because it is a measure of our financial performance that represents the cash that we are able to generate after expenditures required to maintain or expand our asset base.

We define a paying dealer as a dealer account with an active, paid marketplace subscription at the end of a defined period.

We define QARSD, which is measured at the end of a fiscal quarter, as the marketplace revenue primarily from subscriptions to our Listings packages and Real-time Performance Marketing digital advertising suite during that trailing quarter divided by the average number of paying dealers in that marketplace during the quarter. We calculate the average number of paying dealers for a period by adding the number of paying dealers at the end of such period and the end of the prior period and dividing by two.

For each of our websites (excluding the CarOffer website), we define a monthly unique user as an individual who has visited any such website within a calendar month, based on data as measured by Google Analytics. We calculate average monthly unique users as the sum of the monthly unique users of each of our websites in a given period, divided by the number of months in that period. We count a unique user the first time a computer or mobile device with a unique device identifier accesses any of our websites during a calendar month. If an individual accesses a website using a different device within a given month, the first access by each such device is counted as a separate unique user. If an individual uses multiple browsers on a single device and/or clears their cookies and returns to our site within a calendar month, each such visit is counted as a separate unique user.

We define monthly sessions as the number of distinct visits to our websites (excluding the CarOffer website) that take place each month within a given time frame, as measured and defined by Google Analytics. We calculate average monthly sessions as the sum of the monthly sessions in a given period, divided by the number of months in that period. A session is defined as beginning with the first page view from a computer or mobile device and ending at the earliest of when a user closes their browser window, after 30 minutes of inactivity, or each night at midnight (i) Eastern Time for our United States and Canada websites, other than the Autolist website, (ii) Pacific Time for the Autolist website, and (iii) Greenwich Mean Time for our United Kingdom websites. A session can be made up of multiple page views and visitor actions, such as performing a search, visiting vehicle detail pages, and connecting with a dealer.

We define Transactions within the Digital Wholesale segment as the number of vehicles processed from car dealers, consumers, and other marketplaces through the CarOffer website within the applicable period. Transactions consists of each unique vehicle (based on vehicle identification number) that reaches "sold and invoiced" status on the CarOffer website within the applicable period, including vehicles sold to car dealers, vehicles sold at third-party auctions, vehicles ultimately sold to a different buyer, and vehicles that are returned to their owners without completion of a sale transaction. We exclude vehicles processed within CarOffer's intra-group trading solution (Group Trade) from the definition of Transactions, and we only count any unique vehicle once even if it reaches sold status multiple times. Digital Wholesale includes Dealer-to-Dealer transactions and Instant Max Cash Offer transactions. We view Transactions as a key business metric, and we believe it provides useful information to investors, because it provides insight into growth and revenue for the Digital Wholesale segment. Transactions drive a significant portion of Digital Wholesale segment revenue. We believe growth in Transactions demonstrates consumer and dealer utilization and our market share penetration in the Digital Wholesale segment.