"Gold, I think, is going higher still. And Barrick Gold has a lot more room to run," Cramer said when asked about Barrick Gold Corporation GOLD. "I think GOLD is a good place to be." Shares of gold companies traded higher on Monday after gold prices reached an all-time high. Price Action: On CNBC's "Mad Money Lightning Round," Jim Cramer recommended buying Simon Property Group, Inc. SPG calling it a "terrific" company. Simon will release financial and operational results for the quarter ending March 31, aft ...

NEW YORK, April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of CarMax, Inc. (“CarMax” or the “Company”) (NYSE: KMX). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether CarMax and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.  [Click here for information about joining the class action] On April 10, 2025, CarMa ...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoNation (NYSE: AN) today announced the appointment of Jeremy Tucker as Chief Marketing Officer, effective Monday, April 21, 2025. Tucker will join AutoNation's Senior Leadership Team and report directly to the company's Chief Executive Officer Mike Manley. Jeremy Tucker has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer for AutoNation. Jeremy Tucker has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer for AutoNation. "Jeremy's exceptional experience fostering brand loy ...

Core Viewpoint - The company held a performance briefing for the year 2024, discussing its operational performance, future development plans, and addressing investor inquiries regarding profitability and strategic initiatives [1][2]. Group 1: Performance Overview - In 2024, the company achieved an operating revenue of 4.193 billion yuan and a net profit attributable to shareholders of 38.5987 million yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 119.42% [3]. - The company implemented various measures to enhance profitability, including optimizing business processes, improving operational quality, and enhancing customer experience in its property management segment [3]. Group 2: Strategic Initiatives - The company is actively seeking quality projects for diversification, having analyzed over 80 potential projects, particularly focusing on those related to the automotive industry and aligned with new productive forces [4]. - The company plans to enhance its main business profit margins by improving operational efficiency, increasing user engagement, controlling operational costs, and enhancing management quality through training and incentive mechanisms [5][6]. Group 3: Market and Policy Impact - The company’s current operations are not affected by U.S. tariff policies, as it does not engage in overseas sales [6]. - The automotive sector is seen as a key driver for economic growth, with government policies aimed at boosting consumption, particularly in the automotive market [6][9]. Group 4: Future Outlook - The company is committed to exploring new growth avenues and enhancing its existing automotive business and property operations, while also seeking new projects that align with its strategic goals [7][8]. - The automotive and related industries are expected to have broad development prospects, supported by government initiatives to promote domestic consumption and trade [9].

Group 1 - Lithia & Driveway (NYSE: LAD) will release its first quarter 2025 earnings on April 23, 2025, before the market opens [1] - A conference call to discuss the earnings results is scheduled for the same day at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time [1] - The conference call can be accessed by telephone or via the company's website for live listening and replay [2] Group 2 - Lithia & Driveway is the largest global automotive retailer, offering a wide range of products and services throughout the vehicle ownership lifecycle [3] - The company emphasizes simple, convenient, and transparent experiences through its extensive network of physical locations and e-commerce platforms [3] - Lithia & Driveway aims for consistent, profitable growth in a large and unconsolidated industry, leveraging its diversified and competitively differentiated design [3]

Group 1: Analyst Recommendations - Carvana currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.95, indicating a position between Strong Buy and Buy, based on recommendations from 19 brokerage firms [2] - Of the 19 recommendations, nine are Strong Buy and two are Buy, accounting for 47.4% and 10.5% of all recommendations respectively [2] - Despite the positive ABR, relying solely on this information for investment decisions may not be advisable, as studies show brokerage recommendations often lack success in guiding investors towards stocks with high price appreciation potential [3][4] Group 2: Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Brokerage firms often exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings due to vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of Strong Buy recommendations compared to Strong Sell [4][5] - The interests of brokerage firms may not align with those of retail investors, providing limited insight into future stock price movements [5][8] - Analysts' recommendations tend to be overly optimistic, misleading investors more frequently than guiding them accurately [8] Group 3: Zacks Rank as an Alternative - Zacks Rank categorizes stocks into five groups based on earnings estimate revisions, providing a more effective indicator of near-term stock price performance compared to ABR [6][9] - The Zacks Rank is timely and reflects changes in earnings estimates quickly, unlike the ABR which may not be up-to-date [10] - For Carvana, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has increased by 21.4% over the past month, indicating growing optimism among analysts regarding the company's earnings prospects [11] Group 4: Investment Implications for Carvana - The recent change in the consensus estimate, along with other factors, has resulted in a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) for Carvana, suggesting a favorable outlook for the stock [12] - The Buy-equivalent ABR for Carvana may serve as a useful guide for investors, complementing the insights provided by the Zacks Rank [12]

 Largest Dealership Review Platform Reveals Best Dealers Across North America; Subaru, Acura and Volvo Stand Out as Highest-Rated BrandsCHICAGO, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Car-shopping marketplace and dealer reputation site Cars.com® (NYSE: CARS) today announced the winners of its Dealer of the Year Awards, presented annually to the top automotive dealers across North America. Auto dealers were honored as Cars.com Dealer of the Year recipients based on more than 1.3 million online consumer reviews submi ...

Core Viewpoint - RumbleOn, Inc. is set to release its Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 operational and financial results on March 11, 2025, before market opening [1] Company Overview - RumbleOn operates through two segments: Powersports dealership group and Wholesale Express, LLC, which focuses on asset-light transportation services in the automotive industry [3] - The Powersports group is claimed to be the largest in the United States, offering a wide range of products and services including new and pre-owned vehicles, parts, apparel, and financing options [3] - RumbleOn is one of the largest purchasers of pre-owned powersports vehicles in the U.S., utilizing proprietary technology to acquire vehicles directly from consumers [3] Upcoming Events - A conference call and webcast will be held on March 11, 2025, at 7:00 a.m. Central Time (8:00 a.m. Eastern Time) to discuss the operational and financial results [2][4] - The call will be hosted by the CEO Mike Quartieri and CFO Tiffany Kice [2]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue increased by 8.7% despite average selling prices declining by 90 basis points [18] - Interest income rose by 5.1%, driven by overall receivables growth of $31 million year-over-year and a 50 basis point increase in the portfolio's weighted average interest rate [19] - Net charge-offs as a percentage of average finance receivables improved to 6.1% from 6.8% in the prior year quarter [26] - The allowance for credit losses as a percentage of finance receivables decreased to 24.31% from 25.74% a year ago [27] - SG&A expense increased by $2.9 million, or 6.7%, primarily due to acquisitions and higher stock compensation [31] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Sales volumes were up 13.2% for the quarter, attributed to improved execution and an earlier launch of the annual tax season promotion [21] - Gross margin improved to 35.7% from 34.2%, driven by vehicle procurement and disposal initiatives [23] - Collections increased by 5.2% over last year, with the monthly average total collected per active customer rising to $568 from $540 [29] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Delinquencies increased by 40 basis points to 3.7% at quarter end, influenced by winter weather impacts [30] - The application volume was up over 3.5%, indicating stronger demand from consumers [79] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on improving and diversifying its balance sheet by adding new capital and lenders, as well as enhancing its securitization program [9] - A new Vice President of Capital Markets and Treasury was hired to support the growing ABS platform and capital market strategy [13] - The company aims to provide affordable financial solutions for vehicle ownership and exceptional service to customers under financial pressure [36] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The management highlighted the challenging environment for customers due to inflation, higher used car prices, and elevated interest rates [9] - The company is optimistic about its position heading into the strong fourth quarter and spring selling season, with increased inventory and refined marketing strategies [38] - Management remains cautious about the macro environment but believes that the company's foundational improvements will lead to future growth [40] Other Important Information - The company completed an extension and upsizing of its ABL facility to $350 million, maturing in March 2027 [10] - The sixth ABS transaction was completed in January, totaling $200 million and was more than 10 times oversubscribed [11] Q&A Session Summary Question: Update on unit recovery and underwriting trends - Management indicated that underwriting has been cautiously relaxed, with current volumes expected to be down 6% to 8% compared to fiscal year '23 [46][47] Question: Impact of weather on delinquencies - Management acknowledged the difficulty in isolating weather impacts but noted that delinquencies have trended back down quickly [49] Question: Timing and ramp-up of acquisitions - The company closed on a dealership in December and two larger dealerships in June, expecting to add over 5,000 accounts in the next 18 to 24 months [52] Question: Provisioning benefits and consumer stress - Management believes most benefits are from improved underwriting practices rather than an overall improvement in consumer conditions [58][59] Question: Update on application pool and tax season - Management reported a slower start to tax season but noted stronger demand and improved application volume, indicating positive consumer behavior [74][79]

Core Insights - Ken Garff Automotive Group has implemented BorrowerCheck™ across its 70 dealerships to combat rising loan fraud, following a successful six-month pilot program that revealed significant instances of fraud missed by traditional tools [1][2][4] Group 1: Implementation and Impact - The implementation of BorrowerCheck is designed to protect dealerships from loan fraud and lender pushbacks, which have become increasingly common due to sophisticated identity theft and income misrepresentation schemes [2][4] - The solution integrates seamlessly into existing dealership workflows, requiring no operational changes while enhancing protection against various types of fraud, including identity, income, and employment misrepresentation [3][7] - The pilot program demonstrated BorrowerCheck's effectiveness in detecting fraud that traditional red flag solutions often overlook, with the potential to prevent over 90% of fraud cases that would typically go undetected [4][7] Group 2: Industry Context - The automotive lending fraud reached $8 billion last year, highlighting the urgent need for advanced fraud detection solutions in the industry [2] - The automotive retail landscape is evolving, necessitating modern approaches to fraud prevention that not only catch more fraud but also improve the overall customer experience [4][6] - Ken Garff's partnership with Point Predictive signifies a strategic move to enhance customer satisfaction while safeguarding relationships with lending partners [2][4] Group 3: Company Background - Ken Garff Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-held automotive retailer groups in the U.S., with a commitment to integrity and exceptional customer experiences since its founding in 1932 [8]