Cars.com Inc. · NYSE:CARS
Cars.com — Q2 2026 Earnings Presentation
19 slides from Cars.com's earnings presentation, Aug 6, 2026
Slide 1: Second Quarter 2026 Earnings
Second Quarter 2026 Earnings August 6, 2026
Slide 2: Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-Looking Statements This presentation contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements often use words such as “believe,” “expect,” “project,” “ant
Slide 3: Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-Looking Statements This presentation discusses Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted net income, Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Operating Expenses. These financial measures are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). Th
Slide 4: Continued Revenue and Adj. EBITDA Growth
Continued Revenue and Adj. EBITDA Growth Dealer Revenue ($MM) Adj. EBITDA ($MM) Revenue ($MM) & Dealer Count & Margin (% Revenue) 29.4% 19,412 19,343 28.5% $180 $179 $163 $158 $53 $51 Q2’25 Q2’26 Q2’25 Q2’26 Q2’25 Q2’26 Revenue +1% YoY Dealer Revenue +3% YoY Adj. EBITDA Margin up ~100 bps YoY Growth
Slide 5: Building an Interconnected Marketplace
Building an Interconnected Marketplace Dealers & OEMs Interconnectivity Trust • Speed • Data Cost Process and Accelerating efficiency organizational product Sellers Seekers improvements innovation Laying a stronger foundation in 2026 to support long-term growth strategy
Slide 6: Focused Strategy Drove Marketplace Revenue Growth of Over 7% YoY
Focused Strategy Drove Marketplace Revenue Growth of Over 7% YoY Speeding product development velocity Delivering strong customer value Carson users driving nearly ~60% organic traffic mix in Q2, showing brand strength 30% of total leads submitted1 Double digit lead conversion improvement YoY Dealer
Slide 7: Revenue Driven by Strong Dealer Marketplace Growth
Revenue Driven by Strong Dealer Marketplace Growth Quarterly Revenue ($MM) ● Q2 revenue of $179.9MM grew 1% YoY, in line with guidance of flat to 2% YoY growth (5%) (9%) (12%) (18%) +6% +5% YoY YoY YoY YoY YoY YoY ● Dealer revenue was up 3% YoY, driven by Marketplace revenue growth of over 7% YoY th
Slide 8: Stable Dealer Count and Rising ARPD
Stable Dealer Count and Rising ARPD Dealer Customers Average Revenue Per Dealer 19,343 $2,500 (0%) +3% YoY YoY Marketplace dealers grew YoY and QoQ ARPD rose 3% YoY from positive Marketplace Solutions dealers were down YoY and QoQ, primarily contribution, partially offset by decline in media product
Slide 9: Solutions Adoption Slightly Down in Q2
Solutions Adoption Slightly Down in Q2 Website Customers AccuTrade Connected Subscriptions & Appraisals ~7,590 ~1,040 (3%) (3%) YoY YoY Accelerating website product development velocity Beginning to amplify the value of trade and appraisal Focused on increasing package value solutions through Market
Slide 10: Adj EBITDA Margin Exceeded Guidance for Second Consecutive Quarter
Adj EBITDA Margin Exceeded Guidance for Second Consecutive Quarter Quarterly Adjusted EBITDA ($MM) & Margin (% Revenue) ● Operating expenses declined (7%) YoY ● Adjusted operating expenses were (9%) (12%) down (6)% YoY, benefiting from lower (5%) YoY YoY YoY depreciation and amortization and operati
Slide 11: Cash Flow Generation Remains Strong
Cash Flow Generation Remains Strong Free Cash Flow ($MM) Share Repurchase ($MM) Repurchased 6.2 million shares for $57.3 million through June 30, 2026 Deployed ~132% of Free Cash Flow for year-to-date share repurchases FY26 share repurchase target remains at $90MM
Slide 12: Outlook
Outlook Q3 2026 OUTLOOK ● Revenue: Flat to 2% YoY growth ● Adjusted EBITDA margin: 28.5% to 29.5% REAFFIRM FULL YEAR 2026 OUTLOOK ● Revenue: Flat to 2% YoY growth ● Adjusted EBITDA margin: 29% to 30% 2026 SHARE REPURCHASE TARGET ● Reaffirming $90 million target
Slide 13: Q&A
Q&A
Slide 14: Appendix
Appendix NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS
Slide 15: Quarterly Key Operating Metrics
Quarterly Key Operating Metrics Q2 2026 Q2 2025 AVERAGE MONTHLY UNIQUE VISITORS1 22.8 MM 26.6 MM TRAFFIC (VISITS)1 143.0 MM 162.0 MM DEALER CUSTOMERS2 19,343 19,412 MONTHLY ARPD3 $2,500 $2,435 1. UVs and Traffic are measured via RudderStack. These metrics do not include traffic to Dealer Inspire, D2
Slide 16: Non-GAAP Reconciliations
Non-GAAP Reconciliations (UNAUDITED AND IN THOUSANDS)
Slide 17: Non-GAAP Reconciliations
Non-GAAP Reconciliations (UNAUDITED AND IN THOUSANDS)
Slide 18: Non-GAAP Reconciliations
Non-GAAP Reconciliations (UNAUDITED AND IN THOUSANDS)
Slide 19: Non-GAAP Reconciliations
Non-GAAP Reconciliations (UNAUDITED AND IN THOUSANDS)