Americas Car-Mart Grows Gross Margin

America's Car-Mart(NASDAQ:CRMT) reported fiscal Q1 2026 results for the period ending July 31, 2025, with gross margin expanding by 160 basis points year over year to 36.6%, interest income rising 7.5% year over year, and unit volumes declining 5.7% year over year amid cost inflation and capital constraints. The quarter featured improvements in securitization funding, the rollout of a new loan origination system (LOS V2) now covering nearly 72% of receivables, and strong early adoption of digital collection tools. The following insights highlight strategic enhancements, risks from inventory financing limits, and portfolio credit mix shifts shaping the long-term thesis.

Gross margin rises as pricing discipline supports America's Car-Mart

Total revenue (GAAP) declined 1.9% year over year to $341.3 million, primarily due to lower unit sales, while average selling price excluding ancillary products decreased by $144 year over year despite a $500 per-unit increase in procurement costs. Enhanced ancillary pricing and tighter underwriting contributed to the 160-basis-point improvement in gross margin, with additional support from lower loss frequency in higher-quality loans.

"Combined with strong attachment rates and disciplined vehicle pricing, these actions contributed to gross margin improvement to 36.6, a 160 basis point increase over the prior year quarter. Gross margin also benefited from improved wholesale retention as well as favorable trends in post-sale vehicle repairs, both in frequency and severity."
-- Jamie Z. Fischer, COO

This margin expansion demonstrates the company's ability to maintain profitability despite inflationary pressures and declining unit volumes, underscoring operational flexibility in a challenging environment.

Capital facility limits constrain America's Car-Mart inventory growth

Post-pandemic wholesale vehicle price inflation and a fixed $30 million cap with a 30% advance rate on the revolving credit facility have created a binding limitation on working capital and inventory expansion. Despite strong customer demand, these restrictions curtail the ability to grow sales during periods of elevated procurement costs and outstrip traditional inventory lending structures in the sector.

"Currently, we face both a low advance rate of 30% and a cap of $30 million on our inventory advances under our revolving credit facility. While these limits have existed in the past, the significant rise in vehicle prices since COVID has amplified their impact, putting ongoing pressure on our ability to expand retail sales and manage working capital efficiently. We are actively exploring alternative financing solutions to address these constraints and unlock additional capacity to serve our qualified customer demand."
-- Jonathan Collins, CFO

Unless alternative inventory financing is secured, these capital constraints risk capping near-term sales growth and could weaken competitive positioning as vehicle prices remain elevated.

America's Car-Mart shifts originations toward higher credit quality

Origination mix tilted toward higher credit tiers, with 15% more volume coming from customer ranks five through seven, and bookings in lower ranks reduced by nearly 50%. Credit applications rose 10% year over year, and average originating FICO score increased by 20 points year over year from fiscal Q1 2025 to fiscal Q1 2026, bolstering weighted average portfolio quality to 72% under new underwriting standards.

"With LOS V2 now live across our entire footprint, embedded risk-based pricing is now better aligning expected returns with customer profiles. The new scorecard is delivering exactly what we designed it to do, shifting mix towards our highest-ranked customers and away from the lowest tiers. During the quarter, 15% more of our volume came from ranks five through seven, while bookings in some of our lowest ranks were reduced by nearly 50%."
-- Douglas Campbell, President & CEO

This deliberate portfolio upgrade enhances long-term credit performance and future cash flow visibility, while reducing risk exposure during economic downturns.

Looking Ahead

Management expects approximately half of the elevated SG&A increase to unwind in the second half of fiscal 2026, targeting mid-16% SG&A as a share of retail sales through technology-driven efficiencies, including Pay Your Way. The company is actively pursuing alternative inventory financing solutions but provided no specific quantitative sales guidance for future quarters. Leadership remains focused on growing with credit quality, modernizing collections, and ensuring that future sales are determined by demand, not financing limitations.

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This article was created using Large Language Models (LLMs) based on The Motley Fool's insights and investing approach. It has been reviewed by our AI quality control systems. Since LLMs cannot (currently) own stocks, it has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.