CAR (Avis Budget Group) Earnings Power Value (EPV): $-3,357.79 (As of Mar26)


CAR Avis Budget Group Inc CAR
71 GF Score
Price $176.61
GF Value $131.02
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 9 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Avis Budget Group Earnings Power Value (EPV)?

Avis Budget Group CAR -7.27% 71 Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-3,357.79 as of Mar26. GuruFocus rates CAR with a GF Score™ of 71/100 and a GF Value™ of $131.02 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 9 warning signs investors should review.

As of Mar26, Avis Budget Group's earnings power value is $-3,357.79. *

* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

Margin of Safety is N/A.

The basic concept of EPV is that one should value a stock based on the current free cash flow of a company and not on future projections which may, or may not, come true. It is arguably a better way to analyze stocks than Discounted Cash Flow analysis that relies on highly speculative growth assumptions many years into the future. Assumption: Current profitability is sustainable.


Avis Budget Group  (NAS:CAR) Earnings Power Value (EPV) Explanation

Assumption: Current profitability is sustainable.

Earnings power value (EPV) uses a very basic equation which assumes no growth, although it does rely on an assumption about the cost of capital as well as the fact that current earnings are sustainable. It also involves several adjustments to clean up the underlying Earnings figures.


Be Aware

Though using today's earnings in calculating Earnings Power Value, GuruFocus is normalizing these earnings to the business cycle. This eliminates the effects on profitability of valuing the firm at different points in the business cycle. This means that we are considering the average earnings over 5 years.


Avis Budget Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) Related Terms


Avis Budget Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Avis Budget Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) Chart

Avis Budget Group Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Earnings Power Value (EPV)
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -1,890.86 -2,548.82 -3,107.56 -3,007.68 -3,363.86

Avis Budget Group Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Earnings Power Value (EPV) Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -3,037.18 -3,138.09 -3,169.62 -3,363.86 -3,357.79

CAR vs GATX, EQPT, WSC: Earnings Power Value (EPV) Comparison

For the Rental & Leasing Services subindustry, Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV), along with its competitors' market caps and Earnings Power Value (EPV) data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Avis Budget Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) vs Business Services Industry

For the Business Services industry and Industrials sector, Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) falls into.


CAR
71GF Score
Avis Budget Group Inc CAR
Earnings Power Value (EPV) is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Avis Budget Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) Calculation

Earnings Power Value also known as just Earnings Power is a valuation technique popularised by Bruce Greenwald, an authority on value investing at Columbia University. It is arguably a better way to analyze stocks than Discounted Cash Flow analysis that relies on highly speculative growth assumptions many years into the future.

The basic concept of EPV is that one should value a stock based on the current free cash flow of a company and not on future projections which may, or may not, come true. This valuation tool excludes the potential growth that a company may have so that needs to be looked at separately. Since future growth is excluded from the analysis, only the maintenance capital expenditures are subtracted from after-tax EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) and growth capex is ignored.

Avis Budget Group's "Earning Power" Calculation:

Average of Last 20 Quarters Last Quarter
Revenue 11,901
DDA 3,435
Operating Margin % 12.84
SGA * 25% 343
Tax Rate % 25.28
Maintenance Capex 10,057
Cash and Cash Equivalents 528
Short-Term Debt 666
Long-Term Debt 27,006
Shares Outstanding (Diluted) 35

1. Start with "Earnings" not including accounting adjustments (one-time charges not excluded unless policy has changed). "Earnings" are "Operating Income.

2. Look at average margins over a business/Industry cycle: Average Operating Margin = 12.84%

To normalize margins and eliminate the effects on profitability of valuing the firm at different points in the business cycle, it is usually best to take a long-term average of operating margins. Ideally this would be as long as 10 years and include at least one economic downturn. However, since most of companies do not have as long as 10-year history, here GuruFocus uses the latest 5 years data to do the calculation. To smooth out unusual years but reflect recent developments, we take an average of the 5 year margin.

3. Multiply average margins by sustainable revenues and then adjust for maintenance SGA. This yields "normalized" EBIT:

To be conservative, GuruFocus uses an average of the 5 year revenues as the sustainable revenue.
EPV analysis recognises that part of SG&A expenditure is made to maintain and replace the existing assets, while part is made to grow sales. Since EPV is only interested in what it costs a going concern to maintain its existing asset base, it adds back a percentage of SG&A (between 15% and 50% - this is a matter of judgment and industry knowledge) to make up for the fact that some of this expenditure went to fund growth and shouldn't be accounted for. To start off, we assume 25% for the sake of prudence.
Sustainable Revenue = $11,901 Mil, Average Operating Margin = 12.84%, Average Adjusted SGA = 343,
therefore "Normalized" EBIT = Sustainable Revenue * Average Operating Margin + Average Adjusted SGA = 11,901 * 12.84% +343 = $1870.945068 Mil.

4. Multiply by one minus Average Tax Rate (NOPAT):

Same as average operating margin calculation, GuruFocus takes an average of the 5 years tax rates.
Average Tax Rate = 25.28%, and "Normalized" EBIT = $1870.945068 Mil,
therefore After-tax "Normalized" EBIT = "Normalized" EBIT * ( 1 - Average Tax Rate ) = 1870.945068 * ( 1 - 25.28% ) = $1397.8859622815 Mil.

5. Add back Excess Depreciation (after tax at 1/2 average tax rate). This yields "normalized" Earnings:

Excess Depreciation = Average DDA * % of Excess Depreciation (after tax at 1/2 average tax rate) = 3,435 * 0.5 * 25.28% = $434.2107185 Mil.
"Normalized" Earnings = After-tax "Normalized" EBIT + Excess Depreciation = 1397.8859622815 + 434.2107185 = $1832.0966807815 Mil.

6. Adjusted for Maintenance Capital Expenditure:

First, calculate the revenue change regarding to the previous year. If the revenue decreased from the previous year, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
Second, if the revenue increased from the previous year, then calculate the percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue.
Third, calculate Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase.
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase] was negative, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase] was positive, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase.
Fourth, GuruFocus uses an average of the 5 year maintenance capital expenditures as maintenance CAPEX.
Avis Budget Group's Average Maintenance CAPEX = $10,057 Mil *.
* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

7. Investors require a return of "WACC" for the risk they are taking: WACC = 9%

8. Avis Budget Group's current cash and cash equivalent = $528 Mil.
Avis Budget Group's current interest bearing debt = Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation = 27,006 + 666 = $27672 Mil.
Avis Budget Group's current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) = 35 Mil.

Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) for Mar26 is calculated as:

EPV = ( ( Norm. Earnings-Maint. CAPEX *) / WACC + CashandEquiv - Int. Bearing Debt ) / Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)
= ( ( 1832.0966807815 - 10,057)/ 9%+528-27672 )/35
=-3,357.79

Margin of Safety (EPV)=( Earnings Power Value (EPV)-Current Price )/Earnings Power Value (EPV)
=( -3357.7942458982-176.61 )/-3357.7942458982
= N/A

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

What does a Earnings Power Value (EPV) of $-3,357.79 mean?
Avis Budget Group (CAR) has a Earnings Power Value (EPV) of $-3,357.79 as of Mar26. Bruce Greenwald's earnings power value focuses on current earnings without factoring in future growth. View historical data on Avis Budget Group and its competitors.
Is Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) too high?
Avis Budget Group's current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-3,357.79. Overall, Avis Budget Group has a GF Score™ of 71/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) compare to GATX and EQPT?
Avis Budget Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) of $-3,357.79 can be compared against companies in the Business Services industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Earnings Power Value (EPV) for a Business Services company?
A good Earnings Power Value (EPV) depends on the Business Services industry context. However, Earnings Power Value (EPV) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Earnings Power Value (EPV) mean?
A high Earnings Power Value (EPV) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Bruce Greenwald's earnings power value focuses on current earnings without factoring in future growth. View historical data on Avis Budget Group and its competitors. Avis Budget Group's current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-3,357.79. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Avis Budget Group stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Avis Budget Group (CAR) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $131.02, compared to a current price of $176.61 — trading 34.8% above its estimated fair value. The current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-3,357.79. Avis Budget Group's overall GF Score™ is 71/100 with 9 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Earnings Power Value (EPV) calculated?
Earnings Power Value (EPV) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Avis Budget Group (CAR), the current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-3,357.79 as of Mar26. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Avis Budget Group (CAR) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Avis Budget Group stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $176.61 is trading 34.8% above its estimated GF Value™ of $131.02. GuruFocus considers Avis Budget Group to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for CAR:

  • Earnings Power Value (EPV): $-3,357.79
  • GF Value™: $131.02 vs. price of $176.61 (34.8% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 71/100 with 9 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the CAR stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Avis Budget Group Business Description

Address 379 Interpace Parkway, Parsippany, NJ, USA, 07054
Avis Budget Group Inc is a provider of mobility solutions through its three brands Avis, Budget and Zipcar, as well as several other brands, well recognized in their respective markets. Its brands offer a range of options, from car and truck rental to car sharing. The company operates in two reportable business segments: Americas - (i) vehicle rental operations in North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, (ii) car sharing operations in certain of these markets, and (iii) licensees in the areas in which do not operate directly. International - consisting of (i) vehicle rental operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australasia, (ii) car sharing operations in certain of these markets, and (iii) licensees in the areas in which do not operate directly.
71GF Score

Get the complete analysis for CAR

Earnings Power Value (EPV) is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$176.61
Price
$131.02
GF Value