Bottom line
Nextage, Japan's fastest-growing used-car retailer, has recovered from its FY2024/11 trough: OP margin rose from 2.3% to 3.6% in nine months of FY2026/11, OP is +66.7% YTD, and the company has beaten its raised guide in two of the last three years. The stock has fallen 39% from its 2026-06-19 high to 10.0x consensus FY2027/11 EPS and 2.3x book, its own PBR band at −1.7σ, with ROE guided at 19%. The full-year guide implies Q4 sales −17% and OP −10% year on year after Q3 grew 24.7% and 27.6%, so the guide looks low. The market is pricing the risks of growth that comes mostly from low-margin dealer wholesale, a balance sheet near 1x net debt to equity, and the 2023 insurance-sales scandal; those are real, but they look more than discounted at this price.
The most important missing evidence is why the stock fell 39% after the July upward revision. No disclosure or news found explains it, and the Q3 supplementary deck (gross profit per unit, wholesale mix) was not read.
Signal panel
Covered by several brokers (IFIS rating 3.50, target ¥4,138), but the price fell 39% from the high while consensus OP for FY2026/11 moved only −0.9% in 3 months.
OP progress 78.3% vs 78.6% seasonal median (in line); but the guide implies Q4 OP ¥5,976m vs ¥6,622m a year earlier and Q4 sales ¥145.6bn vs ¥175.4bn.
Gross margin down 1.2 pts YTD; receivables +31% YTD; net D/E ~0.93; OCF/NP 0.38 and 0.72 in FY24–FY25. Estimates are not falling.
Quarterly deck and integrated report with segment KPIs; but a 2023 insurance-sales misconduct case forced the president out, and the integrated report assumes a WACC of only 3.5–4.4% (p.29).
Q3 短信 and integrated report read; no segment feeds (403); Q3 deck and 有報 not read; cause of the price fall unknown.
Investment thesis
- Earnings have inflected. Standalone OP FY2026/11: Q1 ¥6,024m (+183%), Q2 ¥8,064m (+63%), Q3 ¥7,536m (+28%); OPM 3.3% / 3.8% / 3.6% vs 1.5–3.5% a year earlier (fact sheet, Quarters). YTD OP ¥21,624m (+66.7%) (Q3 短信 p.1). Reported fact.
- Operating leverage, not price luck. YTD sales +26.0%, gross profit +17.3%, SG&A only +8.1% (¥74,638m) (Q3 短信 p.9). The 2025 profit-improvement project cut loss-making stores and slowed openings (integrated report p.23, p.27). Reported fact.
- The guide leaves room. FY guide (raised 2026-07-06) sales ¥746bn, OP ¥27.6bn; minus YTD leaves Q4 sales ¥145.6bn (−17.0%) and OP ¥5,976m (−9.8%) (Q3 短信 p.1; fact sheet). Consensus sales ¥790bn already expects more. Company guidance / inference.
- Cheap against its own history and its growth. 12.1x company-forecast PER, 10.0x consensus FY2027/11 (EPS ≈ ¥263), PBR 2.31x vs band mean 3.05x (z −1.72); IFIS theoretical prices ¥3,314 (PER) and ¥3,489 (PBR) (fact sheet). Reported fact.
- Returns are back above cost of capital. ROE 11.5% (FY24) → 16.9% (FY25) → 19.0% guided; IFIS ROIC 8.4%. Reported fact / company guidance.
Business and earnings
Nextage sells used cars through large-format stores (SUV LAND, 総合店 that also buy, insure, inspect and service), buy-only stores, and imported new-car dealerships: 251 sites and 367 stores on 2026-08-31 (Q3 短信 p.2). It earns gross profit on the car plus attached insurance, warranties, finance and service, and recycles trade-ins through auctions. It wins on scale of purchasing (283,017 cars bought in FY2025/11, +11.1%) and large display stock (integrated report p.27).
FY2025/11 standalone mix (integrated report p.27): sales stores ¥329.9bn (+13.0%, gross profit ¥49.9bn), buy-only ¥217.9bn (+22.2%), new-car dealers ¥92.4bn (+26.6%), service ¥21.6bn. Retail units 184,823 (+4.0%); auction units 231,150 (+4.0%). From H2 FY2025/11 the company added B2B sales to dealers (業販) to turn stock faster (integrated report p.28).
FY2026/11 YTD (Q3 短信 p.2–3, p.9): units sold 390,074 (+17.7%), sales ¥600.4bn (+26.0%), so revenue per unit +7%. Gross margin 16.0% vs 17.2%, consistent with more low-margin wholesale. Kanto sales +31.2%, units +23.7%, helped by 8 new sites. Non-operating costs rose to ¥1,909m (interest ¥896m, derivative loss ¥553m). Inference: growth now leans on wholesale volume more than retail gross profit per car; the deck would confirm the split.
Data
| Year | Revenue | OP | NP | OPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/11 | ¥163bn | ¥4.4bn | ¥2.9bn | 2.7% |
| 2019/11 | ¥219bn | ¥6.1bn | ¥4.3bn | 2.8% |
| 2020/11 | ¥241bn | ¥6.8bn | ¥4.7bn | 2.8% |
| 2021/11 | ¥291bn | ¥13.6bn | ¥9.7bn | 4.7% |
| 2022/11 | ¥418bn | ¥19.4bn | ¥13.9bn | 4.7% |
| 2023/11 | ¥463bn | ¥16.1bn | ¥11.6bn | 3.5% |
| 2024/11 | ¥553bn | ¥12.9bn | ¥8bn | 2.3% |
| 2025/11 | ¥652bn | ¥19.6bn | ¥12.8bn | 3% |
| 2026/11E | ¥746bn | ¥27.6bn | ¥17.1bn | 3.7% |
factsheet.json annual (zaimu_fy_all)
factsheet.json annual
Data
| Quarter | Sales | OP | NP | OPM | OP YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/11 Q4 | ¥114bn | ¥1.6bn | ¥1.3bn | 1.4% | −65% |
| 2024/11 Q1 | ¥119bn | ¥2.2bn | ¥1.5bn | 1.9% | +25% |
| 2024/11 Q2 | ¥146bn | ¥5.5bn | ¥3.9bn | 3.8% | −10% |
| 2024/11 Q3 | ¥136bn | ¥2.4bn | ¥1.5bn | 1.8% | −63% |
| 2024/11 Q4 | ¥151bn | ¥2.8bn | ¥1.1bn | 1.8% | +68% |
| 2025/11 Q1 | ¥145bn | ¥2.1bn | ¥1.1bn | 1.5% | −3.8% |
| 2025/11 Q2 | ¥164bn | ¥4.9bn | ¥3.1bn | 3% | −11% |
| 2025/11 Q3 | ¥168bn | ¥5.9bn | ¥3.6bn | 3.5% | +144% |
| 2025/11 Q4 | ¥175bn | ¥6.6bn | ¥4.9bn | 3.8% | +140% |
| 2026/11 Q1 | ¥181bn | ¥6bn | ¥4bn | 3.3% | +183% |
| 2026/11 Q2 | ¥210bn | ¥8.1bn | ¥4.9bn | 3.8% | +63% |
| 2026/11 Q3 | ¥209bn | ¥7.5bn | ¥5bn | 3.6% | +28% |
factsheet.json quarters (zaimu_4q_all)
Forecast test
- FY2026/11 guidance: initial 2026-01-05 sales ¥684bn, OP ¥24.0bn; raised 2026-07-06 to sales ¥746bn, OP ¥27.6bn, RP ¥25.5bn, NP ¥17.1bn, EPS ¥218.26, DPS ¥50; kept on 2026-10-05 (Q3 短信 p.1, p.3). Company guidance.
- Consensus (IFIS): FY2026/11 OP ¥27,280m (−1.2% vs guide), NP ¥17,488m; FY2027/11 OP ¥31,800m (+15%), NP ¥20,654m. 3-month change −0.9% and −0.2%. External estimate.
- Progress: OP 78.3% vs median 78.6% (−0.3 pts); sales 80.5% vs 76.0% (+4.5 pts); NP 81.0% vs 80.4%. Seasonal median of actual for OP at Q3 is 77.3%, which points to ~¥28.0bn. Reported fact / inference.
- Track record: actual vs initial OP FY21 +24.0%, FY22 +11.1%, FY23 −35.7%, FY24 −35.3%, FY25 +30.6% (fact sheet). Misses came in the over-expansion and scandal years; FY2026/11 initial ¥24.0bn is already exceeded on a run-rate basis.
- One-offs: none material; ¥184m impairment (Q3 短信 p.9).
- Revision probability: Medium. A Q4 OP flat YoY (¥6.6bn) gives ~¥28.2bn (+2% vs guide). The bigger test is the FY2027/11 initial guide on ~2027-01-05 against consensus OP ¥31.8bn.
factsheet.json progress (zaimu_4q_acc, act_est_hist_n)
Data
| Year | Initial | Final guidance | Actual | Actual vs initial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/11 | ¥7.8bn | ¥6.5bn | ¥6.8bn | −13% |
| 2021/11 | ¥11bn | ¥13.3bn | ¥13.6bn | +24% |
| 2022/11 | ¥17.5bn | ¥19.4bn | ¥19.4bn | +11% |
| 2023/11 | ¥25bn | ¥18bn | ¥16.1bn | −36% |
| 2024/11 | ¥20bn | ¥12.5bn | ¥12.9bn | −35% |
| 2025/11 | ¥15bn | ¥17bn | ¥19.6bn | +31% |
factsheet.json guidance.trackRecord
Financial strength and capital allocation
- Balance sheet (2026-08-31, Q3 短信 p.5–6): equity ¥89.9bn, equity ratio 34.3%; borrowings and bonds ¥115.8bn (short-term ¥9.0bn, current portion ¥39.1bn plus ¥5.0bn bond, long-term ¥62.7bn); cash ¥32.4bn; net debt ≈ ¥83.4bn, net D/E ≈ 0.93. Inventory ¥100.3bn (+13.3% YTD), receivables ¥26.4bn (+31.2% YTD) after +73% in FY2025/11 (fact sheet flag). Current ratio 1.70. No liquidity gate, but leverage is high for a retailer facing rising rates.
- Cash: OCF ¥33.7bn / ¥3.0bn / ¥9.2bn in FY23–FY25; FCF ¥10.0bn / −¥15.4bn / ¥1.9bn (fact sheet). Stock build absorbs cash; FY22 OCF was negative. OCF gate passes.
- Returns: ROE ≈ net margin 2.0% × asset turnover 2.88 × leverage 2.86 in FY2025/11; the recovery came from margin (1.4% in FY24). ROIC 8.4% (IFIS) vs company ROIC ~11% (integrated report p.29, company definition). The company's assumed WACC of 3.5–4.4% understates a cost of equity of ~8–9% (analyst assumption); on that basis, ROE 19% still clears it.
- Peers (Yahoo! Finance, 2026-10-16, company-forecast PER, actual PBR): IDOM (Gulliver) 9.2x / 1.05x / ROE 14.2% / yield 3.3%; VT Holdings 8.4x / 0.83x / ROE 6.9% / 4.8%. Nextage's premium on PBR reflects higher ROE and growth.
- Allocation: DPS ¥15 → ¥45 → ¥50 guided, 9 consecutive increases, target payout ~30% (integrated report p.29). No buyback since 2020. Capex fell to 0.55x depreciation in FY25 as large-store openings slowed; management says openings stay slow for "the next few years" and FCF will improve (p.29).
factsheet.json annual. The 8% line is a common Japan cost-of-equity assumption, not a company figure.
Data
| Year | OCF | ICF | FCF | OCF / NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/11 | −¥2.1bn | −¥7.4bn | −¥9.5bn | -0.72 |
| 2019/11 | −¥9.2bn | −¥10.8bn | −¥20bn | -2.16 |
| 2020/11 | ¥19.3bn | −¥8.5bn | ¥10.7bn | 4.07 |
| 2021/11 | ¥3.2bn | −¥8.3bn | −¥5bn | 0.33 |
| 2022/11 | −¥17.9bn | −¥13.8bn | −¥31.7bn | -1.29 |
| 2023/11 | ¥33.7bn | −¥23.7bn | ¥10bn | 2.92 |
| 2024/11 | ¥3bn | −¥18.5bn | −¥15.4bn | 0.38 |
| 2025/11 | ¥9.2bn | −¥7.3bn | ¥1.9bn | 0.72 |
factsheet.json annual. FCF here is OCF plus investing cash flow.
Data
| Year | Cash | Debt | Net debt | Equity ratio | Current ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/11 | ¥16.5bn | ¥35.4bn | ¥18.9bn | 28% | 2.3 |
| 2019/11 | ¥11.1bn | ¥44.3bn | ¥33.2bn | 32% | 2.17 |
| 2020/11 | ¥27.4bn | ¥52.6bn | ¥25.2bn | 30% | 2.46 |
| 2021/11 | ¥22.7bn | ¥51.5bn | ¥28.7bn | 37% | 2.67 |
| 2022/11 | ¥19.8bn | ¥76.5bn | ¥56.7bn | 35% | 2.11 |
| 2023/11 | ¥29.6bn | ¥77.4bn | ¥47.8bn | 37% | 1.85 |
| 2024/11 | ¥35.7bn | ¥110bn | ¥74.2bn | 33% | 1.98 |
| 2025/11 | ¥17.7bn | ¥96.3bn | ¥78.7bn | 35% | 1.84 |
factsheet.json balance
factsheet.json returns.dps (zaimu_dps_table)
IR and management credibility
- 2023-09-01: disclosed improper insurance sales practices; president 浜脇 resigned on 2023-09-11 and founder 広田 returned as chairman and president; all sales incentives scrapped (the-shashi.com summary).
- FY2024/11: OP missed initial guide by 35%; management attributes it to over-fast openings and weaker supply (integrated report p.23).
- FY2025/11: profit-improvement project; OP beat initial guide by 30.6%.
- 2026-05-29: integrated report with business-unit KPIs, ROIC and stated WACC; target of ¥1tn market cap (p.29).
- Gaps: no results briefing for Q3 (Q3 短信 p.1); the WACC assumption is too low to be a credible hurdle; the ¥1tn target is ~4.7x today's market cap.
Valuation and scenarios
| Case | FY2027/11 NP / EPS | Multiple | Value per share | Return from today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bull | ¥22.0bn (OP ~¥34bn) / ¥280 | 13.0x PER (band mean 12.8x) | ¥3,640 | +38% |
| Base | ¥20.65bn (consensus) / ¥263 | 11.0x PER | ¥2,895 | +10% |
| Bear | ¥17.1bn (flat on FY26 guide) / ¥218 | 9.0x PER (≈−2σ) | ¥1,960 | −26% |
78.4m shares outstanding ex treasury. Add the ¥50 dividend (1.9%).
- Own bands: forward PER 10.2x vs 1-year mean 12.8x (z −1.32); PBR 2.31x vs mean 3.05x (z −1.72), close to −2σ (2.17x). EV/EBITDA 8.5x on forecast (fact sheet).
- What the price implies: at ¥2,641, 10x on consensus FY2027/11 EPS, or 12x on this year's guide with no growth next year.
- Why the market may be right: sales growth is mostly low-margin wholesale, so gross profit (+17%) lags sales (+26%); used-car prices could soften as new-car supply normalises; rising rates hit a balance sheet carrying ¥116bn of debt; and the 2023 scandal and a founder-led board raise governance discounts. Peers trade at 8–9x.
Scenario values from the report's scenario table. Prices and consensus target from factsheet.json. A consensus target is an external estimate, not fair value.
factsheet.json valuation (stock_chart_per, stock_chart_pbr)
Bull case
- Q4 OP comes in near Q3's ¥7.5bn, FY OP ~¥29bn, and the FY2027/11 guide is set at or above consensus ¥31.8bn.
- Wholesale lifts stock turnover and gross profit per store without diluting retail margins; FCF turns clearly positive as openings stay slow.
- PER returns toward the 12.8x band mean.
Bear case
- Q4 confirms the guided −10% OP, showing the H1 surge was a market tailwind.
- Gross margin keeps falling as wholesale grows; receivables and inventory keep outrunning sales.
- Used-car price correction forces inventory write-downs on ¥100bn of stock.
- A new compliance issue in insurance or warranties revives the 2023 discount.
Catalysts
| Date | Event | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| ~2027-01-05 | FY2026/11 results and FY2027/11 guide | Q4 vs implied −10% OP; initial guide vs consensus ¥31.8bn OP. |
| ~2027-02 | AGM | Payout and capital-allocation stance; possible buyback discussion promised by the CFO (integrated report p.29). |
| ~2027-04-06 | Q1 FY2027/11 results | First read on wholesale mix and gross margin trend. |
| Monthly | JADA/全軽自協 used-car registrations | Market volume backdrop (+0.8% Dec–Aug). |
What would change the rating
- Upgrade (higher confidence) if Q4 OP is ≥¥6.6bn and the FY2027/11 OP guide is ≥¥31bn with gross margin stable.
- Downgrade to Hold if the FY2027/11 OP guide is below ¥29bn, or net D/E exceeds 1.1.
- Thesis invalidated if FY OP misses ¥27.6bn, or a new misconduct finding is disclosed.
Monitoring
| Indicator | Current | Trigger | Source | Next update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OP progress vs seasonal norm | 78.3% vs 78.6% median at Q3 | FY OP <¥27.6bn | 短信 / fact sheet | ~2027-01-05 |
| Consensus OP direction | FY27/11 ¥31.8bn, −0.2% over 3m | Falls >5% | IFIS | weekly |
| Gross margin | 16.0% YTD vs 17.2% | Below 15.5% | 短信 | ~2027-01-05 |
| Receivables and inventory | ¥26.4bn (+31%), ¥100.3bn (+13%) YTD | Growth above sales growth for another quarter | 短信 | ~2027-01-05 |
| Net D/E | ≈0.93 | >1.1 | 短信 | ~2027-01-05 |
Scorecard
| Factor | Score | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | 9 / 15 | Scale buyer and seller; thin 3–4% margins, cyclical used-car prices, 2023 misconduct |
| Earnings momentum | 16 / 20 | OP +66.7% YTD, margins 3.6–3.8%; growth decelerating (Q3 +28%) |
| Financial strength | 7 / 15 | Net D/E ~0.93, receivables and inventory growing, OCF lumpy |
| Capital efficiency and allocation | 7 / 10 | ROE 19% guided; 9 straight dividend raises; no buyback |
| Sentiment and revisions | 10 / 15 | Guide raised in July; consensus stable; target prices cut (−14.2% in 3m) |
| Valuation | 16 / 20 | PER 10x forward, PBR −1.7σ; premium to IDOM and VT |
| Technical and event confirmation | 1 / 5 | −38.9% from high, below MA25/75/200 |
| Total | 66 / 100 | Low end of the Buy band; matches a Buy with medium confidence. |
The report's scorecard table
Fact-sheet flags
Computed by factsheet.mjs. Each flag is a prompt to investigate, not a conclusion.
- amber
receivables-outpacing-salesreceivables grew 73.2% in 2025/11 (11,630 to 20,140) against sales growth of 18.0% - info
per-cheapForward PER 10.21 vs 1-year mean 12.81 (+1σ 14.78), z -1.32: cheap vs own history - info
far-below-52w-highPrice 2,641 is -38.9% from the 52-week high 4,325
Sources and limitations
- 2026-05-29 統合報告書 2026:
data/3186/2026-10-17/filings/2026-11_FY_統合_20260529.pdfp.23, p.27–29, p.31. - 2026-10-05 Q3 FY2026/11 決算短信:
filings/2026-11_Q3_短信_20261005.pdfp.1–3, p.5–7, p.9. - IFIS snapshot 2026-10-17, fact sheet
data/3186/analysis/2026-10-17/factsheet.md; broker and guidance news frompages/report_topix.html, disclosures frompages/report_disclose.html. - Peers: https://finance.yahoo.co.jp/quote/7599.T, https://finance.yahoo.co.jp/quote/7593.T (2026-10-16).
- 2023 misconduct and management change: https://the-shashi.com/tse/3186/executives/ceo/hirota-yasuharu/ and https://the-shashi.com/tse/3186/decisions/incentive-abolition-2023/ (secondary).
- Price history: https://finance.matsui.co.jp/stock/3186/index.
- Limitations: IFIS segment, quarterly-segment and foreign-sales feeds returned 403; Q3 supplementary deck, 有報 and 半期 not read, so gross profit per unit and the wholesale share are not quantified; no explanation found for the 39% price fall since June; no medium-term numeric plan found.
- This is research, not individualised investment advice.