The CAR Group Ltd (ASX: CAR) share price is in focus today after reporting its FY26 half-year result.
CAR Group is a company that specialises in global digital marketplace for vehicles. Its businesses include Carsales (Australia), Encar (South Korea), Trader Interactive (the US), Chileautos (Chile) and a majority shareholder of webmotors (Brazil).
HY26 result
Here are some of the main highlights from the result for the six months to 31 December 2026:
- Revenue rose 8% to $626 million
- EBITDA (EBITDA explained) climbed by 11% to $324 million
- Net profit after tax (NPAT) rose by 16% to $143 million
- Adjusted net profit climbed 11% to $197 million
- Interim dividend per share grew 10% to $0,425
What happened?
The business said that the Australia segment grew revenue and adjusted EBITDA by 8%.
Australian dealer revenue rose 10% thanks to growth in lead volumes and premium products. Private revenue rose 5% thanks to an increase in instant offer and more premium listings. Media revenue climbed 10% thanks to advertiser diversification, with a strong contribution from new manufacturer entrants.
North American revenue rose 13% and adjusted EBITDA grew 11%. Commercial markets remained “resilient” with recreational markets showing some improvement.
In Latin America, the company reported revenue growth of 23% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 29% on a constant currency basis. This was driven by audience and lead growth, strong dealer revenue and increasing finance revenue. CAR Group described this result as “excellent”.
In Asia, the business delivered revenue growth of 17% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 13%. This was assisted by guarantee volume growth, improved yield, dealer direct growth and strong home delivery expansion.
Outlook for the CAR Group share price
How much growth the company delivers could play a very important part in the market reaction during 2026, along with market views on AI.
CAR Group said it sees AI as a “critical enabler” and it’s embedding it into its products, platforms and operations.
It’s focused on developing “core agentic technology” that can be scaled across the group, which include the recent introduction of voice-controlled vehicle search and AI companions that help guide consumers through the vehicle buying and selling process.
The business is expecting proforma revenue growth of between 12% to 14% in constant currency terms in FY26.
Australia is expected to see high single digit revenue growth with growth across its different segments supported by the different growth drivers. Each of the other regions are expected to deliver double-digit revenue growth in percentage terms for FY26.
In terms of operational profit, the company is expecting proforma EBITDA to grow between 10% to 13%, with continued operating leverage expected in Australia and Latin America.
North American revenue growth is expected to be higher than EBITDA growth due to investment in marine and contribution from minor acquisitions. Asia revenue growth is expected to be higher than EBITDA growth due to investment in marketing in the dealer direct production.
Adjusted net profit is expected to grow by between 9% to 13% in constant currency terms.
The company said it operates in large, underpenetrated markets with multiple levers to drive future growth. On the numbers front, the company is delivering all the right things.
The CAR Group share price is down more than 30% in the last six months, so investors have lost confidence amid AI worries, but ongoing financial growth could help shareholders.
