Carvana Co. (CVNA) vs JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-06-21, CVNA is undervalued at $67, with a DCF intrinsic value of $104 and a margin of safety of 36%. JPM is undervalued at $325, with an intrinsic value of $498 and a margin of safety of 35%. Of the two, CVNA has the wider margin of safety.
Rewards
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $16.78 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
- ★Trailing P/E of 38.7x is 33% 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.
- ★JPMorgan Chase & Co. scores 90/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $1.79 of earning power — management is creating shareholder value.
Risks
- ⚠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 1.2% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
- ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
- ⚠Trailing P/E of 15.6x is 25% above the historical average of 12.4x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
- ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.30 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
$1 Retained Earnings Test
Learn more →> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $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 →Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →What growth rate is the market pricing in at $67?
The market implies +20.0% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.
Standard FCF implies a more demanding +27.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.
Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.
Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →M-Score Trend
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.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"
"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"
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 →The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
Frequently Asked Questions: CVNA vs JPM
Is Carvana Co. or JPMorgan Chase & Co. more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, CVNA trades at a 35.9% margin of safety (intrinsic value $104 vs. price $67), compared to JPM's 34.7% margin of safety (intrinsic $498 vs. $325).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, Carvana Co. or JPMorgan Chase & Co.?▼
JPM scores 90/100 (Wide moat), while CVNA scores 38/100 (None moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.
Is JPMorgan Chase & Co. in financial distress?▼
JPM's Altman Z-Score of 0.3 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. CVNA scores 6.5 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.
Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Carvana Co. or JPMorgan Chase & Co.?▼
CVNA earns 15.7% ROIC versus JPM's 4.5%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.
Does Carvana Co. have accounting red flags?▼
CVNA's Beneish M-Score of -0.4 flags it as a likely earnings manipulator (above the -1.78 threshold). By contrast, JPM scores -2.2, within the normal range. The Beneish model detects aggressive accounting through eight financial ratios.