Compare StocksAXP vs CVNA

American Express Company (AXP) vs Carvana Co. (CVNA)

AXP
American Express Company
$319.68
VS
CVNA
Carvana Co.
$382.60

Rewards

AXP
  • Gross margin of 62.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • American Express Company scores 100/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
CVNA
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $16.09 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
  • Trailing P/E of 44.2x is 23% below the historical average of 57.5x — potentially undervalued relative to its own history.
  • Altman Z-Score of 6.47 indicates very low bankruptcy risk — the company is firmly in the safe zone.

Risks

AXP
  • Altman Z-Score of 0.93 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
  • 7 insider sales totaling $36.4M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
  • Free cash flow has declined at a 5.9% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
CVNA
  • Gross margin of 20.1% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • Share count has increased by 34% over the past 4 years, diluting existing shareholders.
  • FCF yield of 1.1% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.

Key Valuation Metrics

Learn more →
AXP
CVNA
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$889.00M
N/A
FCF Yield
1.05%
19.96
Trailing P/E
44.23
15.90
Forward P/E
36.25
Quality & Moat
12.37%
ROIC
15.68%
31.48%
ROE
40.91%
62.76%
Gross Margin
20.13%
1.13
PEG Ratio
3.72
Balance Sheet Safety
1.78
Debt / Equity
1.21
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.16
1.19%
Dividend Yield
N/A
AXP: 4Ties: 1CVNA: 3
AXPCVNA

Historical Fundamentals

Learn more →
AXP

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

CVNA

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

Learn more →
AXP
$6.18
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$23.29B
Δ Market Cap
+$144.01B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
CVNA
$28.80
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$2.07B
Δ Market Cap
+$59.52B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

Learn more →
AXP
34.4% Margin of Safety
Price is 34.4% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $319.68
Fair Value: $487.58
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
CVNA
15.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 15.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $382.60
Fair Value: $450.63
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

Learn more →
AXP

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

CVNA

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $383?

+23.2%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +29.6%

The market implies +23.2% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding +29.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

Learn more →
AXP
100/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
CVNA
38/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

Learn more →
AXP
-2.51
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
CVNA
-0.36
Likely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

Learn more →
AXP
Insiders 22.3%Institutions 65.6%Retail & Other 12.1%
No. of Institutional Holders3,664
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
CVNA
Insiders 2.1%Institutions 104.4%
No. of Institutional Holders1,160
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

Learn more →
AXP
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4,054
@ $176.26 · 2025-04-09
ANGELAKIS MICHAEL J
Director
$998,593
@ $269.89 · 2025-03-07
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
CVNA
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

Learn more →
AXP
7
Sells (3M)
19
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $151.85M
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$909,661
@ $300.02 · 2026-03-06
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $340.67 · 2026-02-19
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.82M
@ $346.73 · 2026-02-12
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$5.35M
@ $356.58 · 2026-02-09
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$4.60M
@ $360.99 · 2026-02-09
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$8.35M
@ $356.91 · 2026-02-05
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$9.60M
@ $350.01 · 2026-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$538,902
@ $384.93 · 2025-12-12
RUTLEDGE ELIZABETH
Officer
$18.01M
@ $360.21 · 2025-10-31
TABISH DOUGLAS J
Officer
$894,359
@ $355.61 · 2025-10-23
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$1.75M
@ $350.73 · 2025-10-22
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$37.03M
@ $329.86 · 2025-09-04
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$2.83M
@ $325.88 · 2025-09-03
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$7.67M
@ $326.37 · 2025-09-02
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$23.37M
@ $296.90 · 2025-08-06
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$1.71M
@ $310.77 · 2025-07-29
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$15.47M
@ $309.50 · 2025-07-29
MARQUEZ RAFAEL
Officer
$3.56M
@ $296.93 · 2025-05-20
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.60M
@ $275.50 · 2025-05-06
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$799,009
@ $264.66 · 2025-04-29
MARRS ANNA
President
$6.32M
@ $287.88 · 2025-03-04
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$897,590
@ $296.43 · 2025-02-26
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$2.29M
@ $309.96 · 2025-02-11
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$16.24M
@ $319.45 · 2025-02-06
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$7.25M
@ $318.69 · 2025-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$3.53M
@ $317.01 · 2025-02-05
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$3.03M
@ $319.17 · 2025-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $313.94 · 2025-01-28
LE CAILLEC CHRISTOPHE
Chief Financial Officer
$1.82M
@ $303.48 · 2024-11-27
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$374,010
@ $287.70 · 2024-11-07
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$48.90M
@ $286.57 · 2024-11-07
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$3.55M
@ $270.98 · 2024-10-29
WILLIAMS ANRE D.
Officer
$21.05M
@ $270.26 · 2024-10-22
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$666,213
@ $240.68 · 2024-05-22
SKYLER JENNIFER
Officer
$3.58M
@ $241.73 · 2024-05-10
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$729,770
@ $232.41 · 2024-05-06
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
CVNA
13
Sells (3M)
54
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $291.65M
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.94M
@ $387.19 · 2026-05-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.85M
@ $384.96 · 2026-05-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$395,320
@ $395.32 · 2026-05-01
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$1.29M
@ $341.00 · 2026-04-08
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$3.96M
@ $310.35 · 2026-04-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.10M
@ $309.86 · 2026-04-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$317,500
@ $317.50 · 2026-04-01
QUAYLE DAN
Director
$898,913
@ $309.97 · 2026-03-09
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$309,725
@ $325.00 · 2026-03-09
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.12M
@ $323.15 · 2026-03-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.23M
@ $322.67 · 2026-03-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$324,840
@ $324.84 · 2026-03-02
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$417,271
@ $398.54 · 2026-02-09
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$5.23M
@ $410.19 · 2026-02-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$4.11M
@ $411.27 · 2026-02-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$393,040
@ $393.04 · 2026-02-02
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$524,778
@ $447.00 · 2026-01-08
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$5.14M
@ $403.02 · 2026-01-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$4.02M
@ $401.94 · 2026-01-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$419,480
@ $419.48 · 2026-01-02
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$4.75M
@ $475.00 · 2025-12-12
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$9.50M
@ $475.00 · 2025-12-12
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$4.75M
@ $475.00 · 2025-12-12
GILL DANIEL J
Officer
$19.01M
@ $475.24 · 2025-12-12
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$8.77M
@ $438.50 · 2025-12-08
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$17.58M
@ $439.50 · 2025-12-08
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$13.49M
@ $435.96 · 2025-12-08
GILL DANIEL J
Officer
$35.16M
@ $439.50 · 2025-12-08
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$4.00M
@ $400.00 · 2025-12-03
MAROONE MICHAEL E
Director
$12.38M
@ $400.34 · 2025-12-03
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$10.00M
@ $400.00 · 2025-12-03
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.79M
@ $376.07 · 2025-12-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.77M
@ $377.11 · 2025-12-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$372,310
@ $372.31 · 2025-12-01
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$3.75M
@ $375.04 · 2025-11-28
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$3.75M
@ $375.01 · 2025-11-28
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$3.50M
@ $350.00 · 2025-11-25
SULLIVAN GREGORY B
Director
$850,000
@ $340.00 · 2025-11-12
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$3.25M
@ $325.03 · 2025-11-10
TAIRA THOMAS
Officer
$309,400
@ $325.00 · 2025-11-10
SULLIVAN GREGORY B
Director
$805,500
@ $322.20 · 2025-11-04
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.12M
@ $323.35 · 2025-11-03
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.25M
@ $324.57 · 2025-11-03
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$305,000
@ $305.00 · 2025-11-03
KEETON RYAN SCOTT
Officer
$9.77M
@ $301.68 · 2025-10-31
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.96M
@ $389.27 · 2025-10-01
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$5.97M
@ $398.00 · 2025-10-01
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.89M
@ $389.27 · 2025-10-01
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$390,140
@ $390.14 · 2025-10-01
BREAUX PAUL W
General Counsel
$5.63M
@ $375.00 · 2025-09-09
JENKINS MARK W
Chief Financial Officer
$4.65M
@ $364.42 · 2025-09-02
HUSTON BENJAMIN EDWARD
Chief Operating Officer
$3.65M
@ $364.66 · 2025-09-02
PALMER STEPHEN R
Officer
$361,040
@ $361.04 · 2025-09-02
GARCIA ERNEST C II
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$33.19M
@ $349.09 · 2025-08-13
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

Learn more →
AXP
FearGreed
😐Neutral(49/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
CVNA
FearGreed
😐Neutral(41/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

Learn more →
AXP
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (49)
CVNA
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (41)
View AXP Full AnalysisView CVNA Full Analysis
AXP vs CVNA: Which Is the Better Buy? | SafetyMargin.io