CarMax reported upbeat first-quarter results
The shares of CarMax, Inc (NYSE:KMX) are up 5.7% to trade at $126.25 at last check, after the company reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and revenue. Used car demand helped give profits a boost, as more people chose personal vehicles over public transport during the pandemic. Low interest rates and government stimulus may have steered people toward purchasing cars as well.
CarMax stock has been consolidating below the $120 level for about a month now. However, today's pop has KMX eyeing its fifth-straight day of gains as it jumps to its highest level since mid-May. The security just hit its biggest intraday percent gain since late-January, too, and year-to-date, it boasts a 34.4% lead.
Of the 12 analysts in coverage, eight carry a "buy" or better rating, with three at a "hold," and one calling KMX a "strong sell." Meanwhile, the 12-month consensus price target of $141.51 is an 11.6% premium to current levels.
Elsewhere, the options pits have been more bullish than usual. KMX's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 2.29 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) stands higher than 88% of readings from the past year. This indicates long calls being picked up at a faster-than-usual clip in the last 10 weeks.
Today, options traders are racing toward CarMax stock at full speed, with overall volume running at 13 times the typical intraday average. So far, 10,000 calls and 4,559 puts have crossed the tape. Most popular is the weekly 6/25 125-strike call, followed by the 130-strike call in the same series.