UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 20202021

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _________________ to _________________

Commission File Number: 001-38233

CARGURUS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Delaware

04-3843478

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

2 Canal Park, 4th Floor

Cambridge, Massachusetts

02141

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) (617) 354-0068

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class

Trading Symbol

Name of Exchange on Which Registered

Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share

CARG

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq Global Select Market)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

 

 

Accelerated filer

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

 

Small reporting company

 

 

Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes No

As of October 29, 2020,November 4, 2021, the registrant had 94,160,683101,684,111 shares of Class A common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 19,076,50015,999,173 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.001 per share, outstanding.


Table of Contents

 

 

Page

PART I.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

1

Item 1.

Financial Statements

1

 

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

1

 

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements

2

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

3

 

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest and Stockholders’ Equity

4

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

5

 

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

6

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

2024

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

3842

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

3943

PART II.

OTHER INFORMATION

4044

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

4044

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

4044

Item 6.

Exhibits

5559

Signatures

5660


ii


SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD‑LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains forward‑looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward‑looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward‑looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements contained in this report include, but are not limited to, statements about:

our future financial performance, including our expectations regarding our revenue, cost of revenue, gross profit or gross margin, operating expenses, ability to generate cash flow, and ability to achieve, and maintain, future profitability;
our growth strategies and our ability to effectively manage any growth;
the value proposition of our product offerings for dealers and consumers;
our ability to deliver quality leads at a high volume for our dealer customers;
our ability to maintain and acquire new customers;
our ability to maintain and build our brand;
our ability to succeed internationally;
our ability to realize benefits from our acquisitions and successfully implement the integration strategies in connection therewith;
our expectations regarding future share issuances and the exercise of put and call rights in connection with potentially acquiring additional equity interests in CarOffer, LLC, as well as the associated valuation of redeemable noncontrolling interests;
the impact of competition in our industry and innovation by our competitors;
the impact of accounting pronouncements;
the impact of litigation;
our ability to hire and retain necessary qualified employees to expand our operations;
our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property;
our ability to stay abreast of, and effectively comply with, new or modified laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to our business and our beliefs regarding our compliance therewith;
our ability to overcome challenges facing the automotive industry ecosystem, including inventory supply problems, global supply chain challenges, the global semiconductor chip shortage, changes to trade policies and other macroeconomic issues;
failure to maintain an effective system of internal controls necessary to accurately report our financial results and prevent fraud;
our expectations regarding cash generation and the sufficiency of our cash to fund our operations;
the future trading prices of our Class A common stock;
our expectation that we will realize the benefits of deferred tax assets;
our expected returns on investments;
our ability to realize cost savings and achieve other benefits for our business from our expense reduction efforts, the impact of such reductions on our business and the timing of payments associated with such efforts;
our outlook for our Restricted Listings product;
our expectations regarding future fee reductions for customers; and
the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

iii


our future financial performance, including our expectations regarding our revenue, cost of revenue, gross profit or gross margin, operating expenses, ability to generate cash flow, and ability to achieve, and maintain, future profitability;

our growth strategies and our ability to effectively manage any growth;

our ability to maintain and build our brand;

our ability to succeed internationally;

our ability to realize benefits from our acquisitions and successfully implement the integration strategies in connection therewith;

the impact of competition in our industry and innovation by our competitors;

the impact of accounting pronouncements;

the impact of litigation;

our ability to hire and retain necessary qualified employees to expand our operations;

our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property;

our ability to stay abreast of new or modified laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to our business;

our ability to overcome challenges facing the automotive industry ecosystem, including global supply chain challenges, changes to trade policies and other macroeconomic issues;

failure to maintain an effective system of internal controls necessary to accurately report our financial results and prevent fraud;

our expectations regarding cash generation and the sufficiency of our cash to fund our operations;

the future trading prices of our Class A common stock;

our intentions with respect to availing ourselves of net operating loss, or NOL, carryback provisions under the CARES Act, and the corresponding impact on the valuation allowance for our NOLs and deferred federal research and development credit;

our expected returns on investments;

our ability to realize cost savings and achieve other benefits for our business from our expense reduction efforts, the impact of such reductions on our business and the timing of payments associated with such efforts;

our outlook for our Restricted Listings product;

our expectations regarding future billings relief for customers; and

the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You should not rely upon forward‑looking statements as predictions of future events. We have based the forward‑looking statements contained in this report primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, operating results, and growth prospects. The outcome of the events described in these forward‑looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors described in the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward‑looking statements contained in this report. Further, our forward‑looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions or joint ventures in which we may be involved, or investments we may make. We cannot assure you that the results, events, and circumstances reflected in the forward‑looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events, or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward‑looking statements.

The forward‑looking statements made in this report relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward‑looking statement made in this report to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

iiiiv


PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

CarGurus, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

At

September 30,

2020

 

 

At

December 31,

2019

 

 

At
September 30,
2021

 

 

At
December 31,
2020

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

245,941

 

 

$

59,920

 

 

$

231,091

 

$

190,299

 

Investments

 

 

 

 

 

111,692

 

 

90,000

 

100,000

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $610

and $240, respectively

 

 

16,322

 

 

 

22,124

 

Prepaid expenses and prepaid income taxes

 

 

7,325

 

 

 

10,452

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $602
and $
616, respectively

 

85,182

 

18,235

 

Inventory

 

6,395

 

 

Prepaid expenses, prepaid income taxes and other current assets

 

13,183

 

12,385

 

Deferred contract costs

 

 

9,950

 

 

 

9,544

 

 

9,905

 

10,807

 

Other current assets

 

 

1,634

 

 

 

4,972

 

Restricted cash

 

 

250

 

 

 

250

 

 

 

5,753

 

 

250

 

Total current assets

 

 

281,422

 

 

 

218,954

 

 

441,509

 

331,976

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

27,276

 

 

 

27,950

 

 

29,569

 

27,483

 

Intangible assets

 

 

10,262

 

 

 

3,920

 

Intangible assets, net

 

92,421

 

10,862

 

Goodwill

 

 

28,357

 

 

 

15,207

 

 

155,707

 

29,129

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

63,525

 

 

 

59,986

 

 

63,841

 

60,835

 

Restricted cash

 

 

10,627

 

 

 

10,553

 

 

10,377

 

10,377

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

27,267

 

 

 

42,713

 

 

13,741

 

19,774

 

Deferred contract costs, net of current portion

 

 

8,501

 

 

 

10,514

 

 

6,866

 

9,189

 

Other non-current assets

 

 

3,314

 

 

 

3,826

 

 

 

5,886

 

 

2,673

 

Total assets

 

$

460,551

 

 

$

393,623

 

 

$

819,917

 

$

502,298

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest and stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

16,839

 

 

$

36,731

 

 

$

55,340

 

$

21,563

 

Accrued expenses, accrued income taxes and other current liabilities

 

 

17,878

 

 

 

18,262

 

 

21,922

 

24,751

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

9,678

 

 

 

9,984

 

 

12,517

 

9,137

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

11,472

 

 

 

8,781

 

 

 

12,671

 

 

11,085

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

55,867

 

 

 

73,758

 

 

102,450

 

66,536

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

62,016

 

 

 

60,818

 

 

61,013

 

58,810

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

 

304

 

 

 

284

 

 

19

 

291

 

Other non–current liabilities

 

 

4,105

 

 

 

1,908

 

 

 

12,546

 

 

3,075

 

Total liabilities

 

 

122,292

 

 

 

136,768

 

 

176,028

 

128,712

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemable noncontrolling interest

 

54,633

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized;

0 shares issued and outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 500,000,000 shares

authorized; 94,016,568 and 91,819,649 shares issued and outstanding

at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively

 

 

94

 

 

 

92

 

Class B common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 100,000,000 shares

authorized; 19,076,500 and 20,314,644 shares issued and outstanding

at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively

 

 

19

 

 

 

20

 

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized;
0 shares issued and outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

Class A common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 500,000,000 shares
authorized;
101,003,874 and 94,310,309 shares issued and outstanding
at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively

 

101

 

94

 

Class B common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 100,000,000 shares
authorized;
16,470,842 and 19,076,500 shares issued and outstanding
at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively

 

16

 

19

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

233,246

 

 

 

205,234

 

 

379,808

 

242,181

 

Retained earnings

 

 

104,249

 

 

 

51,859

 

 

209,024

 

129,412

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

651

 

 

 

(350

)

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

307

 

 

1,880

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

 

338,259

 

 

 

256,855

 

 

 

589,256

 

 

373,586

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$

460,551

 

 

$

393,623

 

Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest and stockholders’ equity

 

$

819,917

 

$

502,298

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.


CarGurus, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Revenue

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

150,462

 

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

430,763

 

Cost of revenue(1)

 

 

9,762

 

 

 

9,392

 

 

 

31,252

 

 

 

25,740

 

Gross profit

 

 

137,710

 

 

 

141,070

 

 

 

368,646

 

 

 

405,023

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

57,618

 

 

 

100,133

 

 

 

189,796

 

 

 

293,238

 

Product, technology, and development

 

 

20,758

 

 

 

17,745

 

 

 

65,729

 

 

 

51,063

 

General and administrative

 

 

14,279

 

 

 

12,322

 

 

 

44,297

 

 

 

36,622

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

1,488

 

 

 

1,166

 

 

 

4,529

 

 

 

3,413

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

94,143

 

 

 

131,366

 

 

 

304,351

 

 

 

384,336

 

Income from operations

 

 

43,567

 

 

 

9,704

 

 

 

64,295

 

 

 

20,687

 

Other income, net:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

174

 

 

 

759

 

 

 

1,053

 

 

 

2,247

 

Other income, net

 

 

31

 

 

 

251

 

 

 

354

 

 

 

1,258

 

Total other income, net

 

 

205

 

 

 

1,010

 

 

 

1,407

 

 

 

3,505

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

43,772

 

 

 

10,714

 

 

 

65,702

 

 

 

24,192

 

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

 

11,209

 

 

 

330

 

 

 

13,312

 

 

 

(4,783

)

Net income

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

10,384

 

 

$

52,390

 

 

$

28,975

 

Net income per share attributable to common stockholders:

   (Note 12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.09

 

 

$

0.46

 

 

$

0.26

 

Diluted

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.09

 

 

$

0.46

 

 

$

0.26

 

Weighted-average number of shares of common

   stock used in computing net income per share

   attributable to common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

113,027,995

 

 

 

111,662,949

 

 

 

112,707,003

 

 

 

111,257,271

 

Diluted

 

 

113,966,863

 

 

 

113,364,775

 

 

 

113,732,616

 

 

 

113,389,695

 

(1)

Includes depreciation and amortization expense for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 of $944, $952, $4,250, and $2,246, respectively.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.


1


CarGurus, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenue

 

$

222,915

 

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

612,031

 

 

$

399,898

 

Cost of revenue(1)

 

 

60,033

 

 

 

9,762

 

 

 

134,408

 

 

 

31,252

 

Gross profit

 

 

162,882

 

 

 

137,710

 

 

 

477,623

 

 

 

368,646

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

66,626

 

 

 

57,618

 

 

 

200,935

 

 

 

189,796

 

Product, technology, and development

 

 

26,539

 

 

 

20,758

 

 

 

79,333

 

 

 

65,729

 

General and administrative

 

 

20,414

 

 

 

14,279

 

 

 

67,095

 

 

 

44,297

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

9,227

 

 

 

1,488

 

 

 

25,916

 

 

 

4,529

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

122,806

 

 

 

94,143

 

 

 

373,279

 

 

 

304,351

 

Income from operations

 

 

40,076

 

 

 

43,567

 

 

 

104,344

 

 

 

64,295

 

Other income, net

 

 

143

 

 

 

205

 

 

 

426

 

 

 

1,407

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

40,219

 

 

 

43,772

 

 

 

104,770

 

 

 

65,702

 

Provision for income taxes

 

 

10,952

 

 

 

11,209

 

 

 

28,556

 

 

 

13,312

 

Consolidated net income

 

 

29,267

 

 

 

32,563

 

 

 

76,214

 

 

 

52,390

 

Net income (loss) attributable to redeemable
   noncontrolling interest

 

 

68

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,398

)

 

 

 

Net income attributable to common stockholders

 

$

29,199

 

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

79,612

 

 

$

52,390

 

Net income per share attributable to common
   stockholders: (Note 11)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.25

 

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.68

 

 

$

0.46

 

Diluted

 

$

0.24

 

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.66

 

 

$

0.46

 

Weighted-average number of shares of common
   stock used in computing net income per share
   attributable to common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

117,412,164

 

 

 

113,027,995

 

 

 

116,955,188

 

 

 

112,707,003

 

Diluted

 

 

120,438,373

 

 

 

113,966,863

 

 

 

119,051,228

 

 

 

113,732,616

 

(1)
Includes depreciation and amortization expense for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 of Comprehensive Income

(in thousands)

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Net income

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

10,384

 

 

$

52,390

 

 

$

28,975

 

Other comprehensive income (loss):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

1,013

 

 

 

(929

)

 

 

1,001

 

 

 

(997

)

Comprehensive income

 

$

33,576

 

 

$

9,455

 

 

$

53,391

 

 

$

27,978

 

$1,429, $944, $3,571, and $4,250, respectively.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

2



CarGurus, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ EquityComprehensive Income

(in thousands, except share data)thousands)

 

 

 

Class A

Common Stock

 

 

Class B

Common Stock

 

 

Additional

Paid–in

 

 

Retained

 

 

Accumulated

Other

Comprehensive

 

 

Total

Stockholders’

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Earnings

 

 

Income (Loss)

 

 

Equity

 

Balance at December 31, 2019

 

 

91,819,649

 

 

$

92

 

 

 

20,314,644

 

 

$

20

 

 

$

205,234

 

 

$

51,859

 

 

$

(350

)

 

$

256,855

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,696

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,696

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,793

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,793

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

160,668

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

514

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

514

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

308,303

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

(106,934

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,397

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,397

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

335,741

 

 

 

 

 

 

(335,741

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(493

)

 

 

(493

)

Balance at March 31, 2020

 

 

92,517,427

 

 

 

93

 

 

 

19,978,903

 

 

 

20

 

 

 

214,143

 

 

 

64,555

 

 

 

(843

)

 

 

277,968

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

7,131

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,131

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,249

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,249

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

84,796

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

415

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

415

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

375,645

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

(119,009

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,389

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,389

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

3,748

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,748

)

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

481

 

 

 

481

 

Balance at June 30, 2020

 

 

92,862,607

 

 

 

93

 

 

 

19,975,155

 

 

 

20

 

 

 

224,418

 

 

 

71,686

 

 

 

(362

)

 

 

295,855

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32,563

 

 

 

 

 

 

32,563

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,684

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,684

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

31,523

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

66

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

66

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

335,153

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

(111,370

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,922

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,922

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

898,655

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

(898,655

)

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,013

 

 

 

1,013

 

Balance at September 30, 2020

 

 

94,016,568

 

 

$

94

 

 

 

19,076,500

 

 

$

19

 

 

$

233,246

 

 

$

104,249

 

 

$

651

 

 

$

338,259

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2018

 

 

89,728,223

 

 

$

90

 

 

 

20,702,084

 

 

$

21

 

 

$

184,216

 

 

$

9,713

 

 

$

71

 

 

$

194,111

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,584

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,584

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,995

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,995

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

447,210

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

697

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

697

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

297,374

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

(102,034

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,954

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,954

)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(424

)

 

 

(424

)

Balance at March 31, 2019

 

 

90,370,773

 

 

 

90

 

 

 

20,702,084

 

 

 

21

 

 

 

188,954

 

 

 

22,297

 

 

 

(353

)

 

 

211,009

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,007

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,007

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,260

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,260

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

133,838

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

391

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

391

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

362,447

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes and option costs on net share

   settlement of restricted stock units and stock options

 

 

(122,137

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,637

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,637

)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

356

 

 

 

356

 

Balance at June 30, 2019

 

 

90,744,921

 

 

 

91

 

 

 

20,702,084

 

 

 

21

 

 

 

193,967

 

 

 

28,304

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

222,386

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10,384

 

 

 

 

 

 

10,384

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,085

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,085

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

144,760

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

368

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

368

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

343,909

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

(120,943

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,192

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,192

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

200,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

(200,000

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(929

)

 

 

(929

)

Balance at September 30, 2019

 

 

91,312,647

 

 

$

91

 

 

 

20,502,084

 

 

$

21

 

 

$

199,228

 

 

$

38,688

 

 

$

(926

)

 

$

237,102

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Consolidated net income

 

$

29,267

 

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

76,214

 

 

$

52,390

 

Other comprehensive income (loss):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

(738

)

 

 

1,013

 

 

 

(1,573

)

 

 

1,001

 

Consolidated comprehensive income

 

 

28,529

 

 

 

33,576

 

 

 

74,641

 

 

 

53,391

 

Less comprehensive income (loss) attributable to
   redeemable noncontrolling interests

 

 

68

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,398

)

 

 

 

Comprehensive income attributable to common
   stockholders

 

$

28,461

 

 

$

33,576

 

 

$

78,039

 

 

$

53,391

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

43


CarGurus, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash FlowsRedeemable Noncontrolling Interest and Stockholders’ Equity

(in thousands)thousands, except share data)

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Operating Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

52,390

 

 

$

28,975

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

8,779

 

 

 

5,659

 

Currency gain on foreign denominated transactions

 

 

(32

)

 

 

(927

)

Deferred taxes

 

 

14,769

 

 

 

(5,025

)

Provision for doubtful accounts

 

 

1,742

 

 

 

695

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

34,403

 

 

 

25,390

 

Amortization of deferred contract costs

 

 

8,595

 

 

 

5,797

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

5,954

 

 

 

(4,984

)

Prepaid expenses, prepaid income taxes, and other assets

 

 

7,104

 

 

 

(871

)

Deferred contract costs

 

 

(6,922

)

 

 

(11,442

)

Accounts payable

 

 

(19,745

)

 

 

10,740

 

Accrued expenses, accrued income taxes, and other current liabilities

 

 

(497

)

 

 

(2,047

)

Deferred revenue

 

 

(313

)

 

 

(1,027

)

Lease obligations

 

 

356

 

 

 

(1,882

)

Other non-current liabilities

 

 

2,223

 

 

 

500

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

108,806

 

 

 

49,551

 

Investing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(2,732

)

 

 

(10,765

)

Capitalization of website development costs

 

 

(3,045

)

 

 

(2,074

)

Cash paid for acquisition, net of cash acquired

 

 

(21,056

)

 

 

(19,139

)

Investments in certificates of deposit

 

 

 

 

 

(134,808

)

Maturities of certificates of deposit

 

 

111,692

 

 

 

122,800

 

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

 

84,859

 

 

 

(43,986

)

Financing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

 

995

 

 

 

1,456

 

Payment of finance lease obligations

 

 

(28

)

 

 

(21

)

Payment of withholding taxes and option costs on net share settlement of

   restricted stock units and stock options

 

 

(8,708

)

 

 

(12,783

)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(7,741

)

 

 

(11,348

)

Impact of foreign currency on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

 

171

 

 

 

(97

)

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

 

186,095

 

 

 

(5,880

)

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period

 

 

70,723

 

 

 

37,558

 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period

 

$

256,818

 

 

$

31,678

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for income taxes

 

$

875

 

 

$

153

 

Unpaid purchases of property and equipment

 

$

165

 

 

$

244

 

Capitalized stock-based compensation expense in website development and

   internal-use software costs

 

$

1,323

 

 

$

950

 

Cash paid for operating lease liabilities

 

$

10,329

 

 

$

8,465

 

 

 

Redeemable
Noncontrolling

 

 

Class A
Common Stock

 

 

Class B
Common Stock

 

 

Additional
Paid–in

 

 

Retained

 

 

Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive

 

 

Total
Stockholders’

 

 

 

Interest

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Earnings

 

 

Income (Loss)

 

 

Equity

 

Balance at December 31, 2020

 

$

 

 

 

94,310,309

 

 

$

94

 

 

 

19,076,500

 

 

$

19

 

 

$

242,181

 

 

$

129,412

 

 

$

1,880

 

 

 

373,586

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

(2,810

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22,361

 

 

 

 

 

 

22,361

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,929

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,929

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

 

 

 

93,455

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

258

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

258

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

 

 

 

473,883

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

 

 

 

(162,950

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5,041

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5,041

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

929,597

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

(929,597

)

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issuance of common stock upon for acquisition

 

 

 

 

 

3,115,282

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

103,642

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

103,645

 

Acquisition of a 51% interest in CarOffer, LLC

 

 

58,031

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,083

)

 

 

(1,083

)

Balance at March 31, 2021

 

$

55,221

 

 

 

98,759,576

 

 

$

99

 

 

 

18,146,903

 

 

$

18

 

 

$

355,968

 

 

$

151,773

 

 

$

797

 

 

$

508,655

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

(656

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28,052

 

 

 

 

 

 

28,052

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15,253

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15,253

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

 

 

 

36,027

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

140

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

140

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

 

 

 

391,468

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

 

 

 

(126,703

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,167

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,167

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

248

 

 

 

248

 

Balance at June 30, 2021

 

$

54,565

 

 

 

99,060,368

 

 

$

99

 

 

 

18,146,903

 

 

$

18

 

 

$

368,194

 

 

$

179,825

 

 

$

1,045

 

 

$

549,181

 

Net income

 

 

68

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29,199

 

 

 

 

 

 

29,199

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,581

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,581

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

 

 

 

43,909

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

139

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

139

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

 

 

 

338,509

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

 

 

 

(114,973

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,106

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,106

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

1,676,061

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

(1,676,061

)

 

 

(2

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(738

)

 

 

(738

)

Balance at September 30, 2021

 

$

54,633

 

 

 

101,003,874

 

 

$

101

 

 

 

16,470,842

 

 

$

16

 

 

$

379,808

 

 

$

209,024

 

 

$

307

 

 

$

589,256

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2019

 

$

 

 

 

91,819,649

 

 

$

92

 

 

 

20,314,644

 

 

$

20

 

 

$

205,234

 

 

$

51,859

 

 

$

(350

)

 

 

256,855

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,696

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,696

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,793

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,793

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

 

 

 

160,668

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

514

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

514

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

 

 

 

308,303

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

 

 

 

(106,934

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,397

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,397

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

335,741

 

 

 

 

 

 

(335,741

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(493

)

 

 

(493

)

Balance at March 31, 2020

 

$

 

 

 

92,517,427

 

 

$

93

 

 

 

19,978,903

 

 

$

20

 

 

$

214,143

 

 

$

64,555

 

 

$

(843

)

 

$

277,968

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,131

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,131

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,249

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,249

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

 

 

 

84,796

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

415

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

415

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

 

 

 

375,645

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes and option costs on net share
   settlement of restricted stock units and stock options

 

 

 

 

 

(119,009

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,389

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,389

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

3,748

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,748

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

481

 

 

 

481

 

Balance at June 30, 2020

 

$

 

 

 

92,862,607

 

 

$

93

 

 

 

19,975,155

 

 

$

20

 

 

$

224,418

 

 

$

71,686

 

 

$

(362

)

 

$

295,855

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32,563

 

 

 

 

 

 

32,563

 

Stock–based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,684

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,684

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

 

 

 

31,523

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

66

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

66

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units

 

 

 

 

 

335,153

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards

 

 

 

 

 

(111,370

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,922

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,922

)

Conversion of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

898,655

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

(898,655

)

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,013

 

 

 

1,013

 

Balance at September 30, 2020

 

$

 

 

 

94,016,568

 

 

$

94

 

 

 

19,076,500

 

 

$

19

 

 

$

233,246

 

 

$

104,249

 

 

$

651

 

 

$

338,259

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.


4


CarGurus, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Operating Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consolidated net income

 

$

76,214

 

 

$

52,390

 

Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash provided
   by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

29,487

 

 

 

8,779

 

Currency gain on foreign denominated transactions

 

 

(72

)

 

 

(32

)

Deferred taxes

 

 

5,774

 

 

 

14,769

 

Provision for doubtful accounts

 

 

727

 

 

 

1,742

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

42,551

 

 

 

34,403

 

Amortization of deferred contract costs

 

 

9,643

 

 

 

8,595

 

Impairment of website development costs

 

 

2,351

 

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

(51,595

)

 

 

5,954

 

Inventory

 

 

(4,057

)

 

 

 

Prepaid expenses, prepaid income taxes, and other assets

 

 

(2,970

)

 

 

7,104

 

Deferred contract costs

 

 

(6,522

)

 

 

(6,922

)

Accounts payable

 

 

24,548

 

 

 

(19,745

)

Accrued expenses, accrued income taxes, and other liabilities

 

 

4,808

 

 

 

1,726

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

3,390

 

 

 

(313

)

Lease obligations

 

 

786

 

 

 

356

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

135,063

 

 

 

108,806

 

Investing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(4,935

)

 

 

(2,732

)

Capitalization of website development costs

 

 

(4,145

)

 

 

(3,045

)

Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired

 

 

(64,273

)

 

 

(21,056

)

Investments in certificates of deposit

 

 

(90,000

)

 

 

 

Maturities of certificates of deposit

 

 

100,000

 

 

 

111,692

 

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

 

 

(63,353

)

 

 

84,859

 

Financing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

 

537

 

 

 

995

 

Payment of finance lease obligations

 

 

(29

)

 

 

(28

)

Payment of withholding taxes and option costs on net share settlement of
   restricted stock units and stock options

 

 

(11,314

)

 

 

(8,708

)

Repayment of line of credit

 

 

(14,250

)

 

 

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(25,056

)

 

 

(7,741

)

Impact of foreign currency on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

 

(359

)

 

 

171

 

Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

 

46,295

 

 

 

186,095

 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period

 

 

200,926

 

 

 

70,723

 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period

 

$

247,221

 

 

$

256,818

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for income taxes

 

$

21,798

 

 

$

875

 

Unpaid purchases of property and equipment and internal-use software

 

$

504

 

 

$

165

 

Capitalized stock-based compensation expense in website development and
   internal-use software costs

 

$

2,212

 

 

$

1,323

 

Cash paid for operating lease liabilities

 

$

12,320

 

 

$

10,329

 

Obtaining a right-of-use asset in exchange for a finance lease liability

 

$

664

 

 

$

 

Obtaining a right-of-use asset in exchange for an operating lease liability

 

$

12,336

 

 

$

 

Issuance of stock for acquisition

 

$

103,645

 

 

$

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

5


CarGurus, Inc.

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

1. Organization and Business Description

CarGurus, Inc. (the “Company”), is a global,multinational, online automotive platform for buying and selling vehicles that is building upon its industry-leading listings marketplace connecting buyerswith both digital retail solutions and sellers of newthe CarOffer online wholesale platform. The CarGurus marketplace gives consumers the confidence to purchase or sell a vehicle either online or in-person; and used cars. Usinggives dealerships the power to accurately price, effectively market, instantly acquire and quickly sell vehicles, all with a nationwide reach. The Company uses proprietary technology, search algorithms and innovative data analytics to bring trust, transparency and competitive pricing to the Company provides information and analysis that create a differentiated automotive search experience for consumers. The Company’s marketplace empowers users worldwide with unbiased third-party validation on pricing and dealer reputation, as well as other useful information that aids them in finding “Great Deals from Top-Rated Dealers.”shopping experience.

The Company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was incorporated in the State of Delaware on June 26, 2015.  2015.

The Company operates principally in the United States. In the United States, it also operates as independent brands the Autolist online marketplace, which it wholly owns, and the CarOffer, LLC (“CarOffer”) digital wholesale marketplace, in which it has a 51% interest. In addition to the United States, ithe Company t operates online marketplaces under the CarGurus brand in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, it also operates as an independent brand the PistonHeads online marketplace, which it wholly owns. The Company also operated online marketplaces in Germany, Italy, and Spain until it ceased the operations of each of these marketplaces in the second quarter of 2020.In the United States and the United Kingdom, the Company also operates the Autolist and PistonHeads online marketplaces, respectively, as independent brands.

The Company has subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, the Companyit has 2 reportable segments, United States and International. See Note 1413 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements (the “Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements”) are unaudited. The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have also been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position as of September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, results of operations, comprehensive income, changes in shareholders’ equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 20202021 and 20192020 and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 and 2019.2020. These interim period results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any other interim period or the full year.

The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, filed with the SEC on February 14, 202012, 2021 (the “Annual Report”).

While the Company disclosed other non-current liabilities separately in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on November 5, 2020, the accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 present other non-current liabilities with accrued expenses, accrued income taxes and other current liabilities to conform to the current year presentation, as other non-current liabilities did not meet the threshold for separate disclosure.

6


Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Subsequent Event Considerations

The Company considers events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but prior to the issuance of the financial statements to provide additional evidence for certain estimates or to identify matters that require additional disclosure. The Company has evaluated all subsequent events and determined that there are no material recognized or unrecognized subsequent events requiring disclosure.disclosure.


Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period.

Significant estimates relied upon in preparing these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts and sales allowances, variable consideration, the recoverability of long-lived assets, the valuation and recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, the expensing and capitalization of product, technology, and development costs for website development and internal‑use software, and the recoverability of the Company’s net deferred tax assets and related valuation allowance. Accordingly, the Company considers these to be its critical accounting policies.

Although the Company regularly assesses these estimates, actual results could differ materially from these estimates. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from management’s estimates if these results differ from historical experience, or other assumptions do not turn out to be substantially accurate, even if such assumptions are reasonable when made.Changes in estimates are recorded in the period in which they become known.

Significant estimates relied upon in preparing the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the determination of sales allowance and variable consideration in the Company’s revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, the valuation of a redeemable noncontrolling interest, the valuation of equity and liability-classified compensation awards under ASC 718, the expensing and capitalization of product, technology, and development costs for website development and internal‑use software, the valuation and recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets and other long-lived assets, and the recoverability of the Company’s net deferred tax assets and related valuation allowance. Accordingly, the Company considers these to be its critical accounting policies, and believes that of the Company’s significant accounting policies, these policies involve the greatest degree of judgment and complexity.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company has no significant off‑balance sheet risk, such as foreign exchange contracts, option contracts, or other foreign hedging arrangements. Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, investments, and trade accounts receivable.

The Company maintains its cash, cash equivalents, and investments principally with accredited financial institutions of high credit standing. Although the Company deposits its cash, cash equivalents, and investments with multiple financial institutions, its deposits may often exceed governmental insured limits.

Credit risk with respect to accounts receivable is dispersed due to the large number of customers. The Company routinely assesses the creditworthiness of its customers. The Company generally has not experienced any material losses related to receivables from individual customers, or groups of customers. The Company does not require collateral. Due to these factors, no additional credit risk beyond amounts provided for collection losses is believed by management to be probable in the Company’s accounts receivable.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, and 2019, 0 individual customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue.

As of September 30, 20202021, , 2 customers each accounted for approximately 10%30% and 15% of net accounts receivable.receivable, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, 2020, 1 customer accounted for approximately 18%10% of net accounts receivable.

Included in net accounts receivable at September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020 are $6,869$6,694 and $8,880,$7,426, respectively, of unbilled accounts receivable relating primarily related to advertising customers that are generally billed withinin a quarterperiod subsequent to services being rendered.

7


Significant Accounting Policies

The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect the application of certain significant accounting policies as described below and elsewhere in these notes to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Statements. As of September 30, 2020,2021, the Company’s significant accounting policies and estimates, which are detailed in the Annual Report, have not changed, other than those impacted by new accounting standardsthe acquisition of a 51% interest in CarOffer and recently issued equity awards, as described below. These changes were not material.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest

Allowance for Credit Losses

TIn connection with the Company’s acquisition of a he51% interest in CarOffer on January 14, 2021, the Company is exposedbecame a party with the noncontrolling equity holders of CarOffer to credit losses primarily through its trade accounts receivable. The Company determines the required allowance for expected credit losses using information such as historical loss trends, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts of economic conditions such as the impactsCarOffer Operating Agreement (as defined in Note 4 of the novel strain of coronavirus that surfacedUnaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in Wuhan, Chinathis Quarterly Report), which, among other matters, sets forth certain put and call rights described in December 2019 and was subsequently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (“COVID-19”). Amounts are charged against the allowance when it is determined that expected credit losses may occur.


In lightNote 4 of the COVID-19 pandemic,Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. The CarOffer Operating Agreement provides the Company assessedwith the implications on accounts receivableright to purchase, and increased its allowance for doubtful accountsthe noncontrolling equity holders with the right to $610 as of September 30, 2020 as compared to $240 as of December 31, 2019. The increase in account delinquencies duesell to the COVID-19 pandemic resultedCompany, the noncontrolling CarOffer equity holders’ equity interests in $1,742CarOffer at a contractually defined formulaic purchase price, which is based on a multiple of bad debt expense and $1,372 of write offs, net of recoveries forearnings. As the nine months ended September 30, 2020.

Belowpurchase is a summarycontingently redeemable at the option of the changesnoncontrolling equity holders, the Company classifies the carrying amount of the redeemable noncontrolling interests in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts for the nine months ended September 30, 2020:

 

 

Balance at

Beginning of

Period

 

 

Provision

 

 

Writeoffs,

Net of

Recoveries

 

 

Balance at

End of Period

 

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020

 

$

240

 

 

$

1,742

 

 

$

(1,372

)

 

$

610

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Adopted

Goodwill and Intangibles

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (“ASU 2017-04”). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment by eliminating Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. Under previous guidance, Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test required entities to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. The carrying value in excess of the implied fair value was recognized as goodwill impairment. Under ASU 2017-04, goodwill impairment is recognized based on Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test, which calculates the carrying value in excess of the reporting unit’s fair value. The standard was effective beginning in January 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the guidance on January 1, 2020 and applied it on a prospective basis. The adoption did not have a material impactmezzanine section on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Credit Losses

In June 2016,Balance Sheet, which is presented above the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurementequity section and below the liabilities section. As of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 and its subsequent related updates establish a forward-looking “expected loss model” that requires entities to estimate current expected credit losses on accounts receivable and financial instruments by using all practical and relevant information. ASU 2016-13 and its subsequent related updates were effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the guidance on January 1, 2020 and applied it on a prospective basis. The adoption did not have a material impact ondate of Closing (as defined in Note 4 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report), the noncontrolling interest was recognized at fair value computed using the Least Square Monte Carlo Simulation approach. Significant inputs to the model include market price of risk, volatility, correlation and risk-free rate.

Subsequent to the Company’s acquisition of the 51% interest on January 14, 2021, the redeemable noncontrolling interest is measured at the greater of the amount that would be paid if settlement occurred as of the balance sheet date based on the contractually defined redemption value and its carrying amount adjusted for net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest. Adjustments to the carrying value of the redeemable noncontrolling interest resulting from changes in the redemption value are recorded through retained earnings in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Revenue Recognition – Wholesale and Other Revenue and Inventory

The Company generates wholesale and other revenue primarily from revenue relating to the wholesale sale of automobiles, display advertising revenue from auto manufacturers and other auto-related brand advertisers and revenue from partnerships with financing services companies. CarOffer revenue is comprised entirely of wholesale revenue.

Wholesale revenue includes transaction fees earned by CarOffer from facilitating the purchase and sale of vehicles between dealers, where CarOffer collects fees from both the buyer and seller. CarOffer also sells vehicles to dealers that CarOffer acquires at other marketplaces or directly from consumers – in these instances, CarOffer collects a transaction fee from the buyer. CarOffer also charges the buyer fees to perform inspection and transportation services for all wholesale transactions.

For facilitating the purchase and sale of vehicles between dealers, CarOffer generally does not control the vehicle and therefore acts as an agent in the transaction. Revenue earned from the fees for facilitating these transactions is recognized at a point in time when the vehicle is sold and revenue is recognized on a net basis.

For vehicles sold to dealers that are acquired at other marketplaces, CarOffer generally does not control the vehicle and therefore acts as an agent in the transaction. Revenue earned from the fees for facilitating these transactions is recognized at a point in time when the vehicle is sold and revenue is typically recognized on a net basis. In these situations, the inventory is recorded on the balance sheet for the short period of time CarOffer possesses the vehicle title and is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

For vehicles sold to dealers that are acquired directly from consumers, CarOffer is deemed to control the vehicle and therefore is deemed to be the principal in the transaction. Revenue earned from the fees for facilitating these transactions is recognized point in time when the vehicle is sold and revenue is recognized on a gross basis. In these situations, the inventory is recorded on the balance sheet and is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

8


In certain circumstances, the vehicle may be arbitrated. For the majority of arbitrations, the vehicle is rematched to new buyers. In these situations, CarOffer is not deemed to control the vehicle and therefore is deemed to be an agent in the transaction. Revenue earned from the fees for facilitating these transactions is recognized at a point in time when the vehicle is sold and revenue is recognized on a net basis. In other limited situations, during an arbitration process, CarOffer acquires vehicles in transactions for which it is deemed to control the vehicle and therefore is deemed to be the principal in the transaction. Revenue earned from the fees for facilitating these transactions is recognized point in time and revenue is recognized on a gross basis.In these limited situations, the inventory is recorded on the balance sheet and is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

For inspection and transportation services, CarOffer leverages a network of third-party inspection service providers and transportation carriers. CarOffer is deemed to control both inspection and transportation services as it is primarily responsible for fulfillment and therefore acts as a principal in the transaction. Revenue from fees for inspection services is recognized at the point in time when the inspection is performed and revenue from fees for transportation services is recognized over time as delivery is completed. Revenue from both inspection and transportation services is recognized on a gross basis. Unearned revenue related to unsatisfied performance obligations is recorded as deferred revenue.

Stock‑Based Compensation

For stock‑based awards granted under the Company’s stock‑based compensation plans, the fair value of each award is determined on the date of grant.

For restricted stock units (“RSUs”) granted subject to service-based vesting conditions, the fair value is determined based on the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Class A common stock”), as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of grant. RSUs granted subject to service-based vesting conditions generally vest over a four-year requisite service period.

For RSUs granted subject to market-based vesting conditions, the fair value is determined using the Monte Carlo simulation lattice model. The determination of the fair value using this model is affected by the Company’s stock price performance relative to the companies listed on the S&P 500 as of December 31, 2020 and a number of assumptions including volatility, correlation coefficient, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. RSUs granted subject to market-based vesting conditions vest upon achievement of specified levels of market conditions.

For stock options granted, the fair value is determined on the date of grant using the Black‑Scholes option‑pricing model. The determination of the fair value is affected by the Company’s stock price and a number of assumptions including volatility, term, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. Stock options granted generally have a term of ten years from the date of grant and generally vest over a four-year requisite service period.

In connection with the Company’s acquisition of a 51% interest in CarOffer, the then-outstanding unvested incentive units (“CO Incentive Units”) of CarOffer and unvested Class CO CarOffer units (“the Subject Units”) remained outstanding and will vest over the requisite service periods as discussed below.

Grants of the CO Incentive Units are subject to the CarOffer 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, adopted effective November 24, 2020 (the “2020 CO Plan”), the applicable award agreement, and the CarOffer Operating Agreement. Following the Company’s acquisition of the 51% interest in CarOffer on January 14, 2021, remaining unvested incentive interests will vest over a period of three (3) years, one third each on the first, second, and third anniversaries of January 14, 2021, provided that a grantee’s continuous service to CarOffer has not terminated on the applicable vesting date. Under the terms of the grants, vesting of unvested incentive interests is accelerated in the event of (i) a change of control of CarOffer (which, for the avoidance of doubt, does not include the Company’s acquisition of the 51% interest on January 14, 2021), (ii) the death or disability of the grantee, (iii) termination of the grantee’s employment with CarOffer without cause, or (iv) termination of grantee’s employment by the grantee for good reason. Upon termination of a grantee’s continuous service to CarOffer voluntarily by the grantee (other than for good reason) or by CarOffer for cause, all of such grantee’s unvested incentive interests are forfeited. In addition, if a grantee’s continuous service terminates, then CarOffer has the option to repurchase any outstanding incentive interests from the grantee.

9


In addition to the 2020 CO Plan, on December 9, 2020 CarOffer entered into a Vesting Agreement (the “Vesting Agreement”) regarding the vesting of CarOffer equity interests beneficially owned by Bruce Thompson, the founder and CEO of CarOffer, and certain affiliated persons (the “T5 Holders”) in connection with the Company’s then-anticipated acquisition of a 51% interest in CarOffer. Pursuant to the Vesting Agreement, 432,592 Subject Units beneficially owned by the T5 Holders will vest in 3 (3) equal installments on the first, second, and third anniversary of the closing of the CarOffer Acquisition. As more particularly described in the Vesting Agreement, unvested Subject Units are subject to forfeiture in the event that Mr. Thompson’s relationship with CarOffer terminates other than in the event of a termination without cause (as defined in the Vesting Agreement) or due to Mr. Thompson’s death or disability. The Vesting Agreement also provides for acceleration of any unvested Subject Units in the event of the termination of Mr. Thompson’s employment with CarOffer without cause, Mr. Thompson’s death or disability, or the consummation of an eligible liquidity event (as defined in the Vesting Agreement).

In connection with the Closing of the Company’s acquisition of the 51% interest in CarOffer, CarOffer reserved 228,571 incentive units (the "2021 Incentive Units") for purposes of establishing an employee incentive equity plan. Thereafter, CarOffer formed CarOffer Incentive Equity, LLC (“CIE”), a Delaware manager-managed limited liability company managed by the Company, and established the CIE 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 CO Plan). The 2021 CO Plan and related documentation, including the applicable award agreement, a vesting agreement between CarOffer and CIE, and the CarOffer Operating Agreement, provide for an incentive equity grant structure whereby 2021 Incentive Units will be granted to CIE and 2021 CO Plan grantees will receive an associated equity interest in CIE (the “CIE Interest”), with back-to-back vesting between the 2021 Incentive Units and the associated CIE Interest. Subject to any modifications as may be approved by the CarOffer Board of Managers in its discretion, grants under the 2021 CO Plan will vest over a period of three (3) years from the grant date, one third each on the first, second, and third anniversaries of the applicable grant date, provided that a grantee’s continuous service to CarOffer has not terminated on the applicable grant date. Upon termination of a grantee’s continuous service to CarOffer, all of such grantee’s unvested 2021 Incentive Units are forfeited. As of September 30, 2021 there had not been any grants of 2021 Incentive Units under the 2021 CO Plan.

CO Incentive Units, Subject Units and 2021 Incentive Units are liability-classified awards because the awards can be put to the Company at a formula price such that the holders do not bear the risks and rewards associated with equity ownership. For liability-classified awards, the fair value is determined on the date of issuance using a Least Square Monte Carlo simulation model. The determination of the fair value is affected by CarOffer’s equity value, EBITDA, Excess Parent Capital (as defined in the CarOffer Operating Agreement), and revenue forecasts that drive the exercise price of future call/put rights, as well as a number of assumptions including market price of risk, volatility, correlation, and risk-free interest rate. Liability-classified awards are remeasured to fair value each period until settlement.

The Company issues shares for RSUs and stock option exercises out of its shares available for issuance. The Company issues CO Incentive Units out of CarOffer’s units available for issuance. The Company accounts for forfeitures when they occur.

The Company recognizes compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for each separate vesting portion of the award, with the amount of compensation expense recognized at any date at least equaling the portion of the grant-date fair value of the award that is vested at that date.

The tax effect of differences between tax deductions related to stock compensation and the corresponding financial statement expense compensation are recorded to tax expense. Excess tax benefits recognized on stock‑based compensation expense are classified as an operating activity in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company on or prior to the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations upon adoption.

Income Taxes

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes – Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“(“ASU 2019-12”). ASU 2019-12 simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing several exceptions in the current standard and adding guidance to reduce complexity in certain areas, such as requiring that an entity reflect the effect of an enacted change in tax laws or rates in the annual effective tax rate computation in the interim period that includes the enactment date. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessingadopted the guidance on January 1, 2021. The adoption did not have an impact that adopting this guidance will have on itsthe Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company on or prior to the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations upon adoption. As of September 30, 2021, there are no new accounting pronouncements that the Company is considering adopting.

10



3. Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

The following table summarizes revenue from contracts with customers by geographical region and by revenue source for the three and nine months ended September 30, 20202021 and 2019.2020.

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

United States

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription revenue

 

$

121,814

 

 

$

127,807

 

 

$

330,295

 

 

$

365,180

 

 

$

134,261

 

 

$

121,814

 

 

$

400,377

 

 

$

330,295

 

Advertising and other revenue

 

 

16,598

 

 

 

13,830

 

 

 

45,869

 

 

 

41,870

 

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

77,293

 

 

 

16,598

 

 

 

180,772

 

 

 

45,869

 

Total

 

 

138,412

 

 

 

141,637

 

 

 

376,164

 

 

 

407,050

 

 

 

211,554

 

 

 

138,412

 

 

 

581,149

 

 

 

376,164

 

International

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription revenue

 

 

8,139

 

 

 

7,735

 

 

 

21,477

 

 

 

20,301

 

 

 

10,328

 

 

 

8,139

 

 

 

28,017

 

 

 

21,477

 

Advertising and other revenue

 

 

921

 

 

 

1,090

 

 

 

2,257

 

 

 

3,412

 

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

1,033

 

 

 

921

 

 

 

2,865

 

 

 

2,257

 

Total

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

8,825

 

 

 

23,734

 

 

 

23,713

 

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

30,882

 

 

 

23,734

 

Total Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription revenue

 

 

129,953

 

 

 

135,542

 

 

 

351,772

 

 

 

385,481

 

 

 

144,589

 

 

 

129,953

 

 

 

428,394

 

 

 

351,772

 

Advertising and other revenue

 

 

17,519

 

 

 

14,920

 

 

 

48,126

 

 

 

45,282

 

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

78,326

 

 

 

17,519

 

 

 

183,637

 

 

 

48,126

 

Total

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

150,462

 

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

430,763

 

 

$

222,915

 

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

612,031

 

 

$

399,898

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Company provides disaggregation of revenue based on the United Statesmarketplace subscription versus International geographical regionwholesale and other revenue classification and based on geographic region in the marketplace subscription versus advertising and other revenue classificationtable above as it believes these categories best depict how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.

ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“Topic 606”) requires that the Company disclose the aggregate amount of transaction price that is allocated to performance obligations that have not yet been satisfied as of the relevant quarter end.

For contracts with an original expected duration greater than one year, the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to the performance obligations that were unsatisfied as of September 30, 20202021 was approximately $15.6$12.2 million, which the Company expects to recognize over the next 12 months.

For contracts with an original expected duration of one year or less, the Company has applied the practical expedient available under Topic 606 to not disclose the amount of transaction price allocated to unsatisfied performance obligations as of September 30, 2020.2021. For performance obligations not satisfied as of September 30, 2020,2021, and to which this expedient applies, the nature of the performance obligations, the variable consideration and any consideration from contracts with customers not included in the transaction price areis consistent with performance obligations satisfied as of September 30, 2020.2021.

Revenue recognized during the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and 2019 andthe nine months ended September 30, 20202021 and 2019,2020, from amounts included in deferred revenue at the beginning of the period, was approximately $8,195, $8,479, $9,984$13,120, $8,195, $9,137 and $8,811,$9,984, respectively.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company reduced the subscription fees for paying dealers by at least 50%50% on all marketplace subscriptions for the April and May 2020 service periods, as well as provided a fee reduction on all June 2020 marketplace subscriptions of 20%20% for paying dealers in the United States and Canada and 50%50% for paying dealers in the United Kingdom. These fee reductions resulted in a modification to contracts with initial contractual periods greater than one month. For any contract modified, the Company calculated the remaining transaction price and allocated the consideration over the remaining performance obligations. The Company also waived subscription fees for paying dealers in the United Kingdom for the December 2020 and February 2021 service periods. These fee reductions materially and adversely impacted revenue forare included in the second quarter of 2020 andCompany’s variable consideration assessment. The fee reductions had an immaterial impact on the Company’s revenues for the third quarter ofthree and nine months ended September 30, 2021, as well as the three months ended September 30, 2020. The fee reductions had a material impact on the Company’s revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.

11


4. Acquisitions

On January 16, 2020,14, 2021, the Company acquired Autolist,a 51% interest in CarOffer, which provides an automotive shoppingautomated instant vehicle trade platform and is based in San Francisco, California,Addison, Texas, pursuant to anthe terms of a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement and Plan(the “Purchase Agreement”) dated as of MergerDecember 9, 2020 (the “Agreement Date”), as amended, by and among the Company, Alpine Merger Sub, Inc.,CarOffer, CarOffer Investors Holding, LLC, a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiarylimited liability company (“TopCo”), each of the Company (“Merger Sub”), Auto List, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Target”Members of TopCo (the “Members”), and Bruce T. Thompson, an individual residing in Texas (the “Members’ Representative”). This acquisition (the “CarOffer Acquisition”) is intended to add wholesale vehicle purchasing and selling capabilities to CarGurus’ portfolio of dealer offerings and create a complete and efficient digital solution for dealers to sell and acquire vehicles at both retail and wholesale.

Upon consummation of the securityholders’ representative therein, pursuant to which, among other things,transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement (the “Closing”), the Company acquired Target througha 51% interest in CarOffer for an aggregate consideration of $173,155 (the “Total Consideration”), such Total Consideration consisting of (a) shares of Class A common stock in the mergeraggregate amount of Merger Sub$103,645 (the “Stock Consideration”) and (b) $69,510 in cash (the “Cash Consideration”). The number of shares of Class A common stock issued following the Closing in connection with the Stock Consideration was 3,115,282, which was calculated by reference to a value of $22.51 per share, which equals the volume-weighted average closing price per share of Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the 28 consecutive trading days ending on the third Business Day (as defined in the Purchase Agreement) preceding the Agreement Date. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the remaining equity in CarOffer (the “Remaining Equity”) is being retained by the then-current equity holders of CarOffer and into Target (the “Merger”),subject to certain call and put arrangements discussed below.

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company established a retention pool in an aggregate amount of $8,000 in the form of RSUs to be issued pursuant to the Company’s standard form of RSU agreement under the 2017 Plan, (i) $6,000 of which was granted to certain CarOffer employees following the Closing in accordance with Target surviving as a wholly owned subsidiarythe terms of the Company. The CompanyPurchase Agreement and (ii) $


paid an aggregate2,000 of $which is available for issuance to future CarOffer employees in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement.21.1 million, netRSUs issued from the retention pool will be subject to vesting based on rendering of cash acquired, to consummate the Merger. The amount paid includes $2.2 million that is held in escrow to secure post-closing claims.  The Merger is intended to both expand the Company’s consumer audience in the United States and enhance its value proposition for subscribing dealers.future services.

 

As of September 30, 2020,2021, the Company incurred total acquisition-related costs of $1.4 million$2,647 related to the Merger. CarOffer Acquisition, of which $For709 was incurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and recorded as general and administrative operating expenses within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements. There were 0 acquisition-related costs incurred during the three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company incurred 0 acquisition-related costs. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company incurred total acquisition-related costs of $1.0 million.2021. Acquisition-related costs were excluded from the purchase price allocation as they were primarily comprised of one-time severancelegal, professional and bonus relatedconsulting expenses.

For

The following table presents the nine months ended September 30, 2020, $0.5 million, $0.3 million, and $0.2 million of acquisition-related costs were recorded as operating expense and allocated to product, technology, and development, general and administrative, and sales and marketing, respectively, within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statement.total consideration transferred.

 

 

Consideration Transferred

 

Cash paid, net of cash acquired

 

$

64,273

 

Cash acquired

 

 

5,237

 

Cash consideration

 

 

69,510

 

Stock consideration

 

 

103,645

 

Total consideration transferred

 

$

173,155

 

12


The acquisitionCarOffer Acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination under the acquisition method and, accordingly, the total purchase priceconsideration is allocated to the acquired assets and assumed liabilities. The Company’s 51% interest in CarOffer represents a controlling financial interest in the entity as the minority interest holders only have protective rights such that CarOffer is consolidated as of the date of Closing. The following table presents the adjustedpreliminary purchase price allocation recorded in the Company’s Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of the acquisition date of Closing, which is subject to finalization for estimates of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the date of Closing, including, but not limited to tangible assets, intangible assets and tax-related items:items, and the related tax effects of any changes made:

 

 

Adjusted Fair
Value at Date
of Acquisition

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

5,237

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

16,119

 

Inventory

 

 

2,338

 

Prepaid expenses, prepaid income taxes and other current assets

 

 

95

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

198

 

Intangible assets (1)

 

 

104,100

 

Goodwill (2)

 

 

127,500

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

709

 

Accounts payable

 

 

(8,888

)

Accrued expenses, accrued income taxes, and other current liabilities

 

 

(15,513

)

Operating lease liabilities - current

 

 

(230

)

Operating lease liabilities - non-current

 

 

(479

)

Redeemable noncontrolling interest (3)

 

 

(58,031

)

Total consideration transferred

 

$

173,155

 

(1)
Identifiable definite-lived intangible assets were comprised of developed technology, brand, and customer relationships of $63,000, $23,100, and $18,000, respectively, with estimated useful lives of 3 years, 11 years, and 3 years, respectively, which will be amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. The fair value of the developed technology has been estimated using the multi-period excess earnings method which is a variation of the income approach. The fair value of the brand and customer relationships has been estimated using the relief from royalty method and the with/without approach, respectively.
(2)
Goodwill represents the excess value of the purchase price over net assets acquired, primarily attributable to adding wholesale vehicle acquisition and selling capabilities to CarGurus’ portfolio of dealer offerings. All goodwill is assigned to the United States reporting segment. For tax purposes, $28,991 of the goodwill is deductible under IRC Section 197 upon finalization of the transaction cost study. In connection with the transaction, the Company accelerated certain stock options deemed to be outside of consideration transferred. Therefore, the Company recognized an additional $1,229 of stock-based compensation expense during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
(3)
The fair value of the redeemable noncontrolling interest has been estimated using the Least Square Monte Carlo Simulation approach. Significant inputs include market price of risk, volatility, correlation and risk-free rate.

In addition, the Company, TopCo, each Member and CarOffer MidCo, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, entered into the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement, dated as of December 9, 2020 (the “CarOffer Operating Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other matters, the Company secured the right to appoint a majority of the members of the Board of Managers of CarOffer, other rights customary for a transaction of this nature and the put and call rights described below.

In the second half of 2022, the Company will have a call right (the “2022 Call Right”), exercisable in its sole discretion, to acquire a portion of the Remaining Equity representing up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the fully diluted capitalization of CarOffer (such acquired Remaining Equity, the “2022 Acquired Remaining Equity”) at an implied CarOffer value (the “2022 Call Right Value”) of seven (7) times CarOffer’s trailing twelve months gross profit as of June 30, 2022 (calculated in accordance with the defined terms and subject to the adjustments set forth in the CarOffer Operating Agreement). If the 2022 Call Right is exercised by the Company, the 2022 Acquired Remaining Equity will be purchased ratably across all of the holders of CarOffer equity securities other than the Company. The consideration to be paid by the Company in connection with the exercise of the 2022 Call Right will be in the form of cash and/or shares of Class A common stock, as determined by the Company in its sole discretion.

13


In the second half of 2024, (a) the Company will have a call right (the “2024 Call Right”), exercisable in its sole discretion, to acquire all, and not less than all, of the Remaining Equity that it has not acquired pursuant to the 2022 Call Right and the Closing, at the greater of (i) (x) one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000), and (y) the 2022 Call Right Value, whichever is less, and (ii) an implied CarOffer value of twelve (12) times CarOffer’s trailing twelve months EBITDA as of June 30, 2024 (in each case calculated in accordance with the defined terms and subject to the adjustments set forth in the CarOffer Operating Agreement), and (b) the representative of the holders of the Remaining Equity will have a put right (the “2024 Put Right”), exercisable in his, her or their sole discretion, to have the holders of the Remaining Equity sell to the Company, all, and not less than all, of the Remaining Equity at an implied CarOffer value of twelve (12) times CarOffer’s trailing twelve months EBITDA as of June 30, 2024 (calculated in accordance with the defined terms and subject to the adjustments set forth in the CarOffer Operating Agreement). The determination of whether the 2024 Call Right or the 2024 Put Right is ultimately exercised is as set forth in the CarOffer Operating Agreement. The consideration to be paid by the Company in connection with the exercise of either the 2024 Call Right or the 2024 Put Right, as applicable, will be in the form of cash and/or shares of Class A common stock, as determined by the Company in its sole discretion.

The foregoing summary of the Purchase Agreement, the CarOffer Operating Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Purchase Agreement and the CarOffer Operating Agreement, which are filed as exhibits to the Annual Report.

 

 

Adjusted Fair

Value at Date

of Acquisition (4)

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

50

 

Restricted cash

 

 

220

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

1,862

 

Intangible assets (1)

 

 

7,600

 

Goodwill (2)

 

 

12,477

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

2,169

 

Other assets, net

 

 

162

 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

 

(358

)

Operating lease liabilities - current

 

 

(446

)

Operating lease liabilities - non-current

 

 

(1,723

)

Deferred tax liabilities (3)

 

 

(687

)

Total purchase price

 

$

21,326

 

(1)

Identifiable definite-lived intangible assets were comprised of brand, developed technology, and customer relationships of $5,600, $1,200, and $800, respectively, with estimated useful lives of 9 years, 3 years, and 3 years, respectively, which will be amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. The fair value of the brand has been estimated using the multi-period excess earnings method which is a variation of the income approach. The fair value of the developed technology and customer relationships has been estimated using a cost approach, which assesses the cost to redevelop the app and technology, and relationships, respectively.

(2)

The goodwill represents the excess value of the purchase price over net assets acquired. The goodwill in this transaction is primarily attributable to expected consumer traffic growth and shopper connections for dealers across both the CarGurus and Autolist websites, creating additional value for the Company’s premium subscription customers. All goodwill is assigned to the United States reporting segment. The acquisition of Autolist is treated as a stock acquisition for tax purposes and goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes.  

(3)

The estimated deferred tax liability corresponds to the acquired intangible assets which have no tax basis.

(4)

The Company refined its estimates of the fair value of certain accounts included within the preliminary purchase price allocation, which resulted in an immaterial adjustment to accounts receivable, cash paid, deferred tax liability and goodwill.

ActualThe following unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information combines the unaudited results of the Company for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and the unaudited results of CarOffer for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, and assumes that the CarOffer Acquisition, which closed on January 14, 2021, was completed on January 1, 2020 (the first day of fiscal year 2020). The pro forma consolidated financial information has been calculated after applying the Company’s accounting policies and includes adjustments for amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, transaction-related costs, and compensation expense for ongoing share-based compensation arrangements replaced, together with the consequential tax effects. These pro forma results have been prepared for this acquisitioncomparative purposes only and do not purport to be indicative of the operating results of the Company that would have been achieved had the CarOffer Acquisition actually taken place on January 1, 2020. In addition, these results are not been presentedintended to be a projection of future results and do not reflect events that may occur after September 30, 2021, including, but not limited to revenue enhancements, cost savings or operating synergies that the combined Company may achieve as a result of the financial impactCarOffer Acquisition.

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenue

 

$

222,915

 

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

614,970

 

 

$

409,007

 

Consolidated net income (1)

 

$

29,267

 

 

$

26,487

 

 

$

75,897

 

 

$

20,965

 

(1)
For the three months ended September 30, 2021, pro forma consolidated net income includes $7,286 and $1,083 related to intangibles amortization and stock-based compensation for CarOffer, respectively. For the Company’s three months ended September 30, 2020, pro forma consolidated net income includes $7,275 and $1,083 related to intangibles amortization and stock-based compensation for CarOffer, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, pro forma consolidated net income includes $21,836 and $9,813 related to intangibles amortization and stock-based compensation for CarOffer, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, pro forma consolidated net income includes $21,825 and $9,628 related to intangibles amortization and stock-based compensation for CarOffer, respectively.

$62,992 of revenue and $178 of net income attributable to CarOffer is included in our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial StatementsIncome Statement for the three months ended September 30, 2021. $135,847 of revenue and $8,912 of net loss attributable to CarOffer is not material.included in our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statement from the Closing date of January 14, 2021 to September 30, 2021.

14



5. Fair Value of Financial Instruments Including Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Investments

The following tables present, for each of the fair value levels, the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at September 30, 20202021 and at December 31, 2019:2020:

 

 

At September 30, 2021

 

 

 

Quoted Prices
in Active Markets
for Identical Assets
(Level 1 Inputs)

 

 

Significant Other
Observable Inputs
(Level 2 Inputs)

 

 

Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3 Inputs)

 

 

Total

 

Cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

167,521

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

167,521

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certificates of deposit

 

 

 

 

 

90,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

90,000

 

Total

 

$

167,521

 

 

$

90,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

257,521

 

 

 

At December 31, 2020

 

 

 

Quoted Prices
in Active Markets
for Identical Assets
(Level 1 Inputs)

 

 

Significant Other
Observable Inputs
(Level 2 Inputs)

 

 

Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3 Inputs)

 

 

Total

 

Cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

112,431

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

112,431

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certificates of deposit

 

 

 

 

 

100,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

100,000

 

Total

 

$

112,431

 

 

$

100,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

212,431

 

 

 

At September 30, 2020

 

 

 

Quoted Prices

in Active Markets

for Identical Assets

(Level 1 Inputs)

 

 

Significant Other

Observable Inputs

(Level 2 Inputs)

 

 

Significant

Unobservable Inputs

(Level 3 Inputs)

 

 

Total

 

Cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

172,427

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

172,427

 

Total

 

$

172,427

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

172,427

 

 

 

At December 31, 2019

 

 

 

Quoted Prices

in Active Markets

for Identical Assets

(Level 1 Inputs)

 

 

Significant Other

Observable Inputs

(Level 2 Inputs)

 

 

Significant

Unobservable Inputs

(Level 3 Inputs)

 

 

Total

 

Cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

29,196

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

29,196

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certificates of deposit

 

 

 

 

 

111,692

 

 

 

 

 

 

111,692

 

Total

 

$

29,196

 

 

$

111,692

 

 

$

 

 

$

140,888

 

Certificates of deposit at December 31, 2019 had maturity dates of one year or less.

The Company measures eligible assets and liabilities at fair value with changes in value recognized in earnings. There were 0 liabilities that were measured at fair value as of September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019.2020. Fair value treatment may be elected either upon initial recognition of an eligible asset or liability or, for an existing asset or liability, if an event triggers a new basis of accounting. The Company did not elect to remeasure any of its existing financial assets and did not elect the fair value option for any financial assets transacted during the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 or the year ended December 31, 2019.2020.

Cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of cash on deposit with banks and amounts held in interest-bearing money market accounts. Cash equivalents are carried at cost, which approximates their fair market value.

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Investments not classified as cash equivalents with maturities one year or less from the balance sheet date are classified as short-term investments, while investments with maturities in excess of one year from the balance sheet date are classified as long-term investments. Management determines the appropriate classification of investments at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such determination at each balance sheet date.

The Company held 0 investments

Certificates of deposit at September 30, 2020.2021 and at December 31, 2020 had maturity dates of one year or less.

The following is a summary of investments as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2019:2020, respectively:

 

 

At September 30, 2021

 

 

 

Amortized
Cost

 

 

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

 

 

Gross
 Unrealized
 Losses

 

 

Estimated
Fair Value

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certificates of deposit due in
   one year or less

 

$

90,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

90,000

 

Total

 

$

90,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

90,000

 

15


 

 

At December 31, 2020

 

 

 

Amortized
Cost

 

 

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

 

 

Gross
 Unrealized
 Losses

 

 

Estimated
Fair Value

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certificates of deposit due in
   one year or less

 

$

100,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

100,000

 

Total

 

$

100,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

100,000

 

 

 

At December 31, 2019

 

 

 

Amortized

Cost

 

 

Gross

Unrealized

Gains

 

 

Gross

Unrealized

Losses

 

 

Estimated

Fair Value

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certificates of deposit due in one year or less

 

$

111,692

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

111,692

 

Total

 

$

111,692

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

111,692

 


6. Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment, net consists of the following:

 

At

September 30,

2020

 

 

At

December 31,

2019

 

 

At
September 30,
2021

 

 

At
December 31,
2020

 

Computer equipment

 

$

8,057

 

 

$

7,923

 

 

$

8,604

 

$

8,108

 

Capitalized software

 

 

181

 

 

 

181

 

 

149

 

149

 

Capitalized website development

 

 

15,451

 

 

 

11,083

 

 

19,451

 

16,328

 

Furniture and fixtures

 

 

7,314

 

 

 

6,809

 

 

8,491

 

7,320

 

Leasehold improvements

 

 

20,492

 

 

 

19,507

 

 

24,086

 

20,507

 

Construction in progress

 

 

1,072

 

 

 

524

 

 

665

 

1,024

 

Finance lease right-of-use assets

 

 

50

 

 

 

78

 

 

 

610

 

 

41

 

 

 

52,617

 

 

 

46,105

 

 

62,056

 

53,477

 

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

(25,341

)

 

 

(18,155

)

 

 

(32,487

)

 

 

(25,994

)

Property and equipment, net

 

$

27,276

 

 

$

27,950

 

 

$

29,569

 

$

27,483

 

Depreciation and amortization expense, excluding amortization of intangible assets and internal-use software, was $1,937, $1,951, $7,367,$2,755, $1,937, $7,068 and $5,173$7,367 for the three months ended September 30, 20202021 and 20192020 and the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Amortization expense related to internal-use software was $47and 2019, respectively. Capitalized website development costs increased $4,368 due$61 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. There was 0 amortization expense related to continued investment in our product offerings.internal-use software for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020.

7. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill

The changes in the carrying value of goodwill were as follows:

Balance at December 31, 2020

 

$

29,129

 

CarOffer acquisition (1)

 

 

127,500

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

(922

)

Balance at September 30, 2021

 

$

155,707

 

Balance at December 31, 2019

 

$

15,207

 

Autolist acquisition (1)

 

 

12,477

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

673

 

Balance at September 30, 2020

 

$

28,357

 

(1)
See Note 4 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

(1)

See Note 4 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

The Company tests goodwill for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. As a result of September 30, 2021, there have been no events or changes in circumstance that indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic,carrying value may not be recoverable. As of December 31, 2020, the Company assessed its goodwill for impairment concludingand concluded that there was 0 impairment as of September 30, 2020. impairment.


16


Other Intangible Assets

Intangible assets as of September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 20192020 consist of the following:

 

At September 30, 2020

 

 

At September 30, 2021

 

 

Weighted

Average

Remaining

Useful Life

(years)

 

 

Gross

Carrying

Amount

 

 

Accumulated

Amortization

 

 

Net Carrying

Amount

 

 

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Useful Life
(years)

 

Gross
Carrying
Amount

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

 

Net Carrying
Amount

 

Brand

 

 

8.7

 

 

$

9,257

 

 

$

995

 

 

$

8,262

 

 

 

9.6

 

 

$

32,338

 

 

$

3,444

 

 

$

28,894

 

Customer relationships

 

 

1.8

 

 

 

1,866

 

 

 

782

 

 

 

1,084

 

 

 

2.2

 

 

 

19,871

 

 

 

5,660

 

 

 

14,211

 

Developed technology

 

 

2.3

 

 

 

1,200

 

 

 

284

 

 

 

916

 

 

 

2.3

 

 

 

65,212

 

 

 

15,896

 

 

 

49,316

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

$

12,323

 

 

$

2,061

 

 

$

10,262

 

 

 

 

 

$

117,421

 

 

$

25,000

 

 

$

92,421

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At December 31, 2019

 

 

At December 31, 2020

 

 

Weighted

Average

Remaining

Useful Life

(years)

 

 

Gross

Carrying

Amount

 

 

Accumulated

Amortization

 

 

Net Carrying

Amount

 

 

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Useful Life
(years)

 

 

Gross
Carrying
Amount

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

 

Net Carrying
Amount

 

Brand

 

 

10.0

 

 

$

3,524

 

 

$

313

 

 

$

3,211

 

 

 

8.4

 

 

$

9,405

 

 

$

1,235

 

 

$

8,170

 

Customer relationships

 

 

2.0

 

 

 

1,045

 

 

 

336

 

 

 

709

 

 

 

1.6

 

 

 

1,886

 

 

 

938

 

 

 

948

 

Developed technology

 

 

1.0

 

 

 

2,213

 

 

 

469

 

 

 

1,744

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

$

4,569

 

 

$

649

 

 

$

3,920

 

 

 

 

 

$

13,504

 

 

$

2,642

 

 

$

10,862

 

The Company recorded amortization expense related to intangible assets of $495, $167, $1,412,$7,854, $495, $22,358, and $486$1,412 for thethe three months ended September 30, 20202021 and 20192020 and the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, and 2019, respectively.respectively.

The estimated useful life of the PistonHeads brand and customer relationships is 11 years and 3 years, respectively. The estimated useful life of the Autolist brand, customer relationships and developed technology is 9 years, 3 years, and 3 years, respectively. The Company evaluates the useful lives of these assets on an annual basis and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets. As a result of September 30, 2021, there have been no events or changes in circumstances that could impact the COVID-19 pandemic,recoverability of these assets. As of December 31, 2020, the Company assessed its long-livedintangible assets for impairment and concluded that there was 0 impairment as of September 30, 2020..

Estimated amortization expense of intangible assets for future periods as of September 30, 20202021 is as follows:

Year Ending December 31,

 

Amortization
Expense

 

Remainder of 2021

 

$

7,874

 

2022

 

 

31,078

 

2023

 

 

30,350

 

2024

 

 

4,144

 

2025

 

 

3,052

 

2026

 

 

3,052

 

Thereafter

 

 

12,871

 

Total

 

$

92,421

 

Year Ending December 31,

 

Amortization

Expense

 

Remainder of 2020

 

$

484

 

2021

 

 

1,938

 

2022

 

 

1,704

 

2023

 

 

971

 

2024

 

 

953

 

2025

 

 

953

 

Thereafter

 

 

3,259

 

Total

 

$

10,262

 

8. Accrued Expenses, Accrued Income Taxes and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses, accrued income taxes and other current liabilities consist of the following:

 

 

At

September 30,

2020

 

 

At

December 31,

2019

 

Accrued bonus

 

$

8,841

 

 

$

8,637

 

Accrued commissions

 

 

2,824

 

 

 

3,153

 

Other accrued expenses, accrued income taxes and other

   current liabilities

 

 

6,213

 

 

 

6,472

 

Total

 

$

17,878

 

 

$

18,262

 


9. Restructuring

On April 13, 2020, the Board of Directors of the Company approved an expense reduction plan to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business (the “Expense Reduction Plan”), pursuant to which the Company initiated a reduction in its workforce of approximately 13%, ceased operation of its Germany, Italy and Spain marketplaces, and halted expansion efforts in any new international markets.

The Expense Reduction Plan was completed in the second quarter of 2020 and during such quarter resulted in restructuring charges of $3,248 for employee severance and related benefits expense and $1,019 for write-off of capitalized website development costs and deferred contract costs from international marketplaces.

 

 

At
September 30,
2021

 

 

At
December 31,
2020

 

Accrued bonus

 

$

7,372

 

 

$

10,845

 

Accrued commissions

 

 

2,841

 

 

 

3,941

 

Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

 

11,709

 

 

 

9,965

 

Total

 

$

21,922

 

 

$

24,751

 

The following table summarizes restructuring accrual activity for employee severance and related benefits expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2020:

Employee

Severance and

Related Benefits

Balance at December 31, 2019

$

Charges

3,248

Cash disbursements

(2,581

)

Noncash settlements

(667

)

Balance at September 30, 2020

$

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, 0 employee severance and related benefits expense was recorded. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, $2,160, $737, $207, and $144 of employee severance and related benefits expense was recorded as sales and marketing, product, technology, and development, cost of revenue, and general and administrativeO, respectively, within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statement. All of the accrued employee severance and related benefits were paid as of September 30, 2020 and were recorded within accrued expenses, accrued income taxes and other current liabilities on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, prior to payout. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, $667 of employee severance and related benefits expense was recorded as stock-based compensation expense within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, 0 write-off of capitalized website development costs or deferred contract costs from international marketplaces

 was recorded. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, $844 and $175 of the write-off of capitalized website development costs and deferred contract costs from international marketplaces were recorded as cost of revenue and sales and marketing, respectively, within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statement. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, $844 of the write-off of capitalized website development costs from international marketplaces was recorded as depreciation and amortization within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

 

10.17


9. Commitments and Contingencies

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

All of the Company’s property, equipment, and internal-use software have been purchased with cash with the exception of amounts related to unpaid property and equipment and internal use software and amountsrelated to obligations under finance leases as disclosed in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and immaterial amountsrelated to obligations under one finance lease as of September 30, 2020.2021. The Company has no material long-term purchase obligations outstanding with any vendor or third party.

Leases

The Company’s primary operating lease obligations consist of various leases for office space in: Boston, Massachusetts; Cambridge, Massachusetts; San Francisco, California; Addison, Texas; Plano, Texas; and Dublin, Ireland. The Company also has an operating lease obligation for data center space in Needham, Massachusetts.

As of September 30, 2020,2021, there were no material changes in the Company’s material leases from those disclosed in the Annual Report, other than as discussed below.


On June 12, 2020, the Company amended its operating lease agreement in Boston, Massachusetts at 1001 Boylston Street, which was originally entered into on December 19, 2019.  Pursuant to this amendment, the Company exercised its right to reduce the amount of office space agreed to under the lease to 225,428 square feet, and the parties agreed to certain other changes to the lease as set forth in the amendment. As the lease has been signed but the lease term has not commenced, there is no impact to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

On January 10, 2019, Auto List, Inc., which the Company acquired on January 16, 2020,25, 2021, CarOffer entered into an operating leasea sublease in San Francisco, CaliforniaAddison, Texas at 332 Pine St.15601 Dallas Parkway for the lease of 6,345approximately 61,826 square feet of office space with a non-cancellable lease term through 2024.2030. The sublease commenced on March 1, 2021. CarOffer’s monthly base rent for the premises, which is payable from January 1, 2022, will initially be approximately $152, and will increase each year up to a maximum monthly base rent of approximately $185. In connection with the sublease, CarOffer entered into a financing lease providesarrangement for annual rent increases through thefurniture and fixtures used in connection with its operations. The term of the lease.financing lease is for the entire period of the sublease. The monthly rent for the furniture and fixtures is included in the sublease monthly rent, with ownership of the furniture and fixtures transferring to CarOffer at the expiration of the lease term. Monthly rent payments are allocated based upon the relative fair value of the office space and furniture of 95% and 5%, respectively. Upon commencement, the right of use asset for the office space and furniture was $12,336 and $664, respectively.

On July 1, 2019, CarOffer entered into a sublease in Plano, Texas at 2701 East Plano Parkway for the lease of approximately 26,971 square feet of office space with a non-cancellable lease term through 2023. The sublease commenced on July 1, 2019. CarOffer’s monthly base rent for the premises, which is payable from July 1, 2019, was initially approximately $21, and will increase each year up to maximum monthly base rent of $22. The Company acquired the lease as part of the CarOffer Acquisition.

The Company’s leases in Boston, Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California have associated letters of credit, which are recorded as restricted cash within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. At September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, restricted cash was $10,877$16,130 and $10,803,$10,627, respectively, and primarily related to cash held at a financial institution in an interest‑bearing cash account as collateral for the letters of credit related to the contractual provisions for the Company’s building leases. Restricted cash at September 30, 2021 also includes pass-through payments from customers related to the Company’s wholesale business. At September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, portions of restricted cash were classified as a short-term asset and long‑term asset, as disclosed on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Acquisitions

On January 14, 2021, the Company completed the CarOffer Acquisition, details of which are described in Note 4 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

Legal Matters

From time to time the Company may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of its business. The Company is not presently subject to any pending or threatened litigation that it believes, if determined adversely to the Company, individually, or taken together, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on its business or financial results.

Guarantees and Indemnification Obligations

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into agreements with its customers, partners and service providers that include commercial provisions with respect to licensing, infringement, indemnification, and other common provisions. The Company does not, in the ordinary course, agree to guaranty or indemnification obligations for the Company under its contracts with customers. Based on historical experience and information known at September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019, 2020, the Company has not incurred any costs for guarantees or indemnities.

18


11.

10. Stock-based Compensation

Equity Incentive Plans

The 2020 CO Plan provides for the issuance of CO Incentive Units to CarOffer’s employees, officers, managers, and consultants. The 2020 CO Plan authorized up to an aggregate of 485,714 CO Incentive Units for such issuances.

The Vesting Agreement provides for the vesting ofthe Subject Units beneficially owned by the T5 Holders, which vest in accordance with the terms described in Note 2 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

The 2021 CO Plan provides for an incentive equity grant structure whereby 2021 Incentive Units will be granted to CIE and 2021 CO Plan grantees will receive an associated CIE Interest, with back-to-back vesting between the 2021 Incentive Units and the associated CIE Interest. The 2021 CO Plan authorized up to an aggregate of 228,571 2021 Incentive Units for such issuances.

Stock-based Compensation Expense

The following two tables show stock compensation expense by award type and where the stock compensation expense is recorded in the Company’s Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income StatementsStatements::

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Options

 

$

630

 

 

$

 

 

$

1,882

 

 

$

17

 

Restricted stock units

 

 

13,852

 

 

 

11,030

 

 

 

41,539

 

 

 

34,617

 

CO Incentive Units and Subject
   Units

 

 

687

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,681

 

 

 

 

Total stock-based
   compensation expense

 

$

15,169

 

 

$

11,030

 

 

$

53,102

 

 

$

34,634

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Options

 

$

 

 

$

35

 

 

$

17

 

 

$

130

 

Restricted stock units

 

 

11,030

 

 

 

8,726

 

 

 

34,617

 

 

 

25,260

 

Total stock-based compensation expense

 

$

11,030

 

 

$

8,761

 

 

$

34,634

 

 

$

25,390

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Cost of revenue

 

$

110

 

 

$

57

 

 

$

311

 

 

$

241

 

Sales and marketing expense

 

 

2,717

 

 

 

2,450

 

 

 

9,040

 

 

 

8,206

 

Product, technology, and
   development expense

 

 

5,583

 

 

 

5,140

 

 

 

17,585

 

 

 

15,861

 

General and administrative expense

 

 

6,759

 

 

 

3,383

 

 

 

26,166

 

 

 

10,326

 

Total stock-based
   compensation expense

 

$

15,169

 

 

$

11,030

 

 

$

53,102

 

 

$

34,634

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Cost of revenue

 

$

57

 

 

$

92

 

 

$

241

 

 

$

268

 

Sales and marketing expense

 

 

2,450

 

 

 

2,520

 

 

 

8,206

 

 

 

7,392

 

Product, technology, and development

   expense

 

 

5,140

 

 

 

3,938

 

 

 

15,861

 

 

 

11,118

 

General and administrative expense

 

 

3,383

 

 

 

2,211

 

 

 

10,326

 

 

 

6,612

 

Total stock-based compensation expense

 

$

11,030

 

 

$

8,761

 

 

$

34,634

 

 

$

25,390

 

Excluded from stock-based compensation expense is $656, $324, $1,323,$777, $656, $2,212 and $950$1,323 of capitalized website development and internal-use software costs for the three months ended September 30, 20202021 and 20192020 and the nine months ended September 30, 2020,2021 and 2019,2020, respectively.


During the three months ended September 30, 20202021 and 20192020 and the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 and 2019,2020, the Company withheld 114,973, 111,370 120,943, 337,313,, 404,626 and 345,114337,313 shares of Class A common stock, respectively, to satisfy employee tax withholding requirements and for option exercise costs due to net share settlements and cashless exercises of options. The shares withheld return to the authorized, but unissued pool under the Company’s Omnibus Equity Compensation2017 Plan and can be reissued by the Company. Total payments to satisfy employee tax withholding requirements and for the employees’ tax obligations to the taxing authoritiesoption exercise costs due to net share settlements and for option exercise costscashless exercises of options were $2,922, $4,192, $8,708,$3,106, $2,922, $11,314 and $12,783$8,708 for the three months ended September 30, 20202021 and 20192020 and the nine months ended September 30, 2020,2021 and 2019,2020, respectively, and are reflected as a financing activity within the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.Flows.

19


12.11. Earnings Per Share

NetThe Company has two classes of common stock authorized: Class A common stock and Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of Class A and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to 1 vote per share and each share of Class B common stock is entitled to10 votes per share. Each share of Class B common stock is convertible into 1 share of Class A common stock at the option of the holder at any time or automatically upon certain events described in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including upon either the death or voluntary termination of the Company’s Executive Chairman. The Company allocates undistributed earnings attributable to common stock between the common stock classes on a one‑to‑one basis when computing net income per share. As a result, basic and diluted net income per share forof Class A common stock and per share of Class B common stock are equivalent.

During thethree months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, holders of Class B common stock converted 1,676,061 and 898,655 shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, holders of Class B common stock converted 2,605,658and 20191,238,144 shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock, respectively.

Basic net income per share (“Basic EPS”) is computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders and adjusted to reflect changes in the redemption value of the redeemable noncontrolling interest, if applicable, by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period. The Company computes the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period using the total number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding as of the last day of the previous year end reporting period plus the weighted-average of any additional shares issued and outstanding during the reporting period.

The Company has two classes of common stock authorized: Class A common stock and Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of Class A and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to 1 vote per share and each share of Class B common stock is entitled to 10 votes per share. Each share of Class B common stock is convertible into 1 share of Class A common stock at the option of the holder at any time or automatically upon certain events described in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including on either the death or voluntary termination of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Company allocates undistributed earnings attributable to common stock between the common stock classes on a one‑to‑one basis when computing net income per share. As a result, basic and dilutedDiluted net income per share of Class A common stock and per share of Class B common stock are equivalent.

During the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, holders of Class B common stock converted 898,655 and 200,000 shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, holders of Class B common stock converted 1,238,144 and 200,000 shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock, respectively.

(“Diluted net income per shareEPS”) gives effect to all potentially dilutive securities. PotentialDiluted EPS is computed by dividing net incomeattributable to common stockholders and adjusted to reflect adjustments for net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest and redemption adjustments to redeemable noncontrolling interest, if applicable and dilutive, securities forby the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 consistweighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period using (i) the number of shares of common stock issuableused in the Basic EPS calculation as indicated above, (ii) if dilutive, the incremental weighted-average common stock that the Company would issue upon the exercise of stock options and shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units (“RSUs”).RSUs, (iii) if dilutive, market-based performance awards based on the number of shares that would be issuable as of the end of the reporting period assuming the end of the reporting period was also the end of the contingency period. The dilutive effect of these common stock equivalents is reflected in diluted earnings per share by application of the treasury stock method.

For The if-converted method is used to calculate the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, diluted net income per share was calculated by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period plus the dilutive impact of stock options and shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the vesting2024 Put Right, inclusive of RSUs.CarOffer noncontrolling interest and incentive units, that would be issuable as of the end of the reporting period assuming the end of the reporting period was also the end of the contingency period.

20



The following table presents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used in the calculation of basic and diluted net income per share:

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consolidated net income

 

$

29,267

 

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

76,214

 

 

$

52,390

 

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to
   redeemable noncontrolling interest

 

 

68

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3,398

)

 

 

 

Net income attributable to common
   stockholders — basic

 

$

29,199

 

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

79,612

 

 

$

52,390

 

Add: Net income (loss) attributable to
   redeemable noncontrolling interest

 

 

68

 

 

 

 

 

 

(588

)

 

 

 

Net income attributable to common
   stockholders — diluted

 

$

29,267

 

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

79,024

 

 

$

52,390

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average number of shares of
   common stock used in computing net
   income per share attributable to
   common stockholders — basic

 

 

117,412,164

 

 

 

113,027,995

 

 

 

116,955,188

 

 

 

112,707,003

 

Dilutive effect of share equivalents
   resulting from stock options

 

 

418,054

 

 

 

632,581

 

 

 

460,553

 

 

 

701,176

 

Dilutive effect of share equivalents
   resulting from unvested restricted
   stock units

 

 

491,175

 

 

 

306,287

 

 

 

403,967

 

 

 

324,437

 

Dilutive effect of share equivalents
   resulting from CarOffer incentive
   units and noncontrolling interest

 

 

2,116,980

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,231,520

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average number of shares
   of common stock used in computing
   net income per share attributable to
   common stockholders — diluted

 

 

120,438,373

 

 

 

113,966,863

 

 

 

119,051,228

 

 

 

113,732,616

 

Net income per share attributable to
   common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.25

 

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.68

 

 

$

0.46

 

Diluted

 

$

0.24

 

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.66

 

 

$

0.46

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

10,384

 

 

$

52,390

 

 

$

28,975

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average number of shares of common

   stock used in computing net income per share

   attributable to common stockholders — basic

 

 

113,027,995

 

 

 

111,662,949

 

 

 

112,707,003

 

 

 

111,257,271

 

Dilutive effect of share equivalents resulting from

   stock options

 

 

632,581

 

 

 

1,052,758

 

 

 

701,176

 

 

 

1,232,754

 

Dilutive effect of share equivalents resulting from

   unvested restricted stock units

 

 

306,287

 

 

 

649,068

 

 

 

324,437

 

 

 

899,670

 

Weighted-average number of shares of common

   stock used in computing net income per share —

   diluted

 

 

113,966,863

 

 

 

113,364,775

 

 

 

113,732,616

 

 

 

113,389,695

 

Net income per share attributable to common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.09

 

 

$

0.46

 

 

$

0.26

 

Diluted

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

0.09

 

 

$

0.46

 

 

$

0.26

 

The following potentially dilutive common stock equivalents have been excluded from the calculation of diluted weighted-average shares outstanding for the three and nine months ended September 30, 20202021 and 2019,2020, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive for the periods presented:

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Stock options outstanding

 

 

588,490

 

 

 

 

 

 

501,306

 

 

 

 

Restricted stock units outstanding

 

 

2,181,061

 

 

 

2,577,713

 

 

 

2,507,873

 

 

 

2,893,491

 

In addition, shares of Class A common stock potentially issuable under market-based performance awards of approximately 282,921 were excluded from the calculation of weighted average shares used to compute Diluted EPS for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 as the market-based vesting conditions had not been achieved as of the reporting period end date and as such there were zero contingently issuable shares.

21


 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Restricted stock units outstanding

 

 

2,577,713

 

 

 

1,421,473

 

 

 

2,893,491

 

 

 

1,191,286

 

13.12. Income Taxes

During the three months ended September 30, 2021, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $10,952, representing an effective tax rate of 27.3%. The effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2021 was higher than the statutory tax rate of 21% principally due to state and local income taxes, shortfalls on the taxable compensation of share-based awards and the Section 162(m) excess officer compensation limitation, which became applicable in May 2021 upon the expiration of the transition period permitted following the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”), partially offset by federal and state research and development tax credits.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $28,556, representing an effective tax rate of 26.4%. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was higher than the statutory tax rate of 21% principally due to state and local income taxes, shortfalls on the taxable compensation of share-based awards and the Section 162(m) excess officer compensation limitation, which became applicable in May 2021 upon the expiration of the transition period permitted following the IPO, partially offset by federal and state research and development tax credits.

During the three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $11,209,$11,209, representing an effective tax rate of 25.6%25.6%. The effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2020 was higher than the statutory tax rate of 21%21% principally due to state and local income taxes, partially offset by federal and state research and development tax credits.

During the three months ended September 30, 2019, the Company recorded income tax provision of $330, representing an effective tax rate of 3.1%. The effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2019 was lower than the statutory tax rate of 21% principally due to excess stock deductions from the taxable compensation of share-based awards and federal and state research and development tax credits, partially offset by state and local income taxes.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $13,312$13,312, representing an effective tax rate of 20.3%20.3%. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was lower than the statutory tax rate of 21%21% principally due to a discrete benefit recognized as a result of the enactment of the CARESCoronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (as defined below), excess stock deductions from the taxable compensation of stock-based awards and federal and state research and development tax credits, partially offset by state and local income taxes.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $4,783, representing an effective tax rate of(19.8)%. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 was lower than the statutory tax rate of 21% principally due to the excess stock deductions from the taxable compensation of stock-based awards and federal and state research and development tax credits, partially offset by state and local income taxes.

The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to various United StatesU.S. federal, state, and foreign income taxes.tax examinations. The Company is currently opennot subject to income tax examination by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and state jurisdictions for the tax years of 2017 and after.prior as a result of applicable statute of limitations of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and state jurisdictions. The Company is currently open to examination in its foreign jurisdictions for tax years 20172018 and after. In 2019, the IRS commenced a


federal employment tax audit with respect to the 2016,2018, 2017 and 20182016 calendar years which is still open. and expanded the audit to cover tax year 2019 as part of the audit settlement in July 2021. In July 2020, the IRS commenced a corporate income tax audit with respect to the 2017 calendar year, which is still open.In August 2020,State of New York State commenced a sales and use tax audit with respect to 2014 – 2020 sales and use taxes, which is still open.

On March 27, 2020,of the United States enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”).  Among other things, the CARES Act includes a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryback provision allowing for NOLs from the 2018, 2019 and 2020 tax years to be used to offset taxable incomeCompany for the tax years from 20132014 to 2017. The Company filed a carryback claim, from2020, which it received a refund of $3,863 during the three months ended September 30, 2020, and will reduce its current gross NOL balance by approximately $18,723 and increase its deferred federal research and development credit by approximately $2,645. The Company does not expect this election to negatively impact its analysis on the valuation allowance for its NOLs or deferred federal research and development credit.

The CARES Act also updates the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, allowing for the depreciation of leasehold improvements over 15 years, rather than 39 years, and eligibility for bonus depreciation, rather than non-eligibility for bonus depreciation.  The Company has made an estimate for the impact as it relates to the 2019 tax year and will file its 2019 return in accordance with the updated guidance in the CARES Act.

The CARES Act includes other provisions that may be utilized if the Company meets the eligibility requirements.  Although the Company continues to review and evaluate the potential impact and benefit of the CARES Act on its entire business, the Company has primarily focused its review on two provisions that affect both income taxes and non-income taxes. First, the CARES Act temporarily removes the 80% limitation on NOLs to offset taxable income for tax years prior to 2021. Second, the CARES Act allows for the deferral of the employer portion of the Social Security Tax for up to two years, with half due by December 31, 2021 and the remainder due by December 31, 2022.closed without adjustment.

On July 20, 2020, the IRS issued final regulations that provide for a high-tax exception to the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) tax. Specifically, if foreign earnings are subject to a foreign tax rate of at least 90% of the U.S. tax rate, an election can be made to not treat the high-taxed earnings as GILTI income. The final regulations provide the ability for taxpayers to retroactively apply the GILTI high-tax exclusion on an amended return for tax years 2018 and 2019. As a result of the final regulations, the Company is able to exclude certain foreign earnings from its forecasted 2020 GILTI income. With respect to prior tax years, the Company did not have GILTI income in 2018 or 2019 and, therefore, does not have the ability to recognize a benefit by applying the high tax exclusion retroactively.

14.13. Segment and Geographic Information

The Company has 2 reportable segments, United States and International. Segment information is presented in the same manner as the Company’s chief operating decision maker (the “CODM”) reviews the Company’s operating results in assessing performance and allocating resources. The CODM reviews revenue and operating income (loss) for each reportable segment as a proxy for the operating performance of the Company’s United States and International operations. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is the CODM on behalf of both reportable segments.

The United States segment derives revenues from marketplace subscriptions advertising services,and wholesale and other revenues from customers within the United States. The International segment derives revenues from marketplace subscriptions advertising services, and other revenues from customers outside of the United States. A majority of the Company’s operational overhead expenses, including technology and personnel costs, and other general and administrative costs associated with running the Company’s business, are incurred in the United States and not allocated to the International segment. Revenue and costs discretely incurred by reportable segments, including depreciation and amortization, are included in the calculation of reportable segment income (loss) from operations. Segment operating income (loss) does not reflect the transfer pricing adjustments related to the Company’s foreign subsidiaries, which are recorded for statutory reporting purposes. Asset information is assessed and reviewed on a global basis.

Information regarding the Company’s operations by segment and geographical area is presented as follows:

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Segment revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

138,412

 

 

$

141,637

 

 

$

376,164

 

 

$

407,050

 

International

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

8,825

 

 

 

23,734

 

 

 

23,713

 

Total revenue

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

150,462

 

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

430,763

 


 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Segment income (loss) from operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

46,462

 

 

$

19,956

 

 

$

82,061

 

 

$

51,456

 

International

 

 

(2,895

)

 

 

(10,252

)

 

 

(17,766

)

 

 

(30,769

)

Total income from operations

 

$

43,567

 

 

$

9,704

 

 

$

64,295

 

 

$

20,687

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, 0 employee severance and related benefits expense was recorded. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, employee severance and related benefits expense attributable to the United States and International segments were $2,492 and $756, respectively. For the three months ended September 30, 2020, 0 write-off of capitalized website development costs or deferred contract costs from international marketplaces was recorded. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the entirety of the write-off of capitalized website development costs and deferred contract costs from international marketplaces was attributable to the International segment.

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Segment revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

211,554

 

 

$

138,412

 

 

$

581,149

 

 

$

376,164

 

International

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

30,882

 

 

 

23,734

 

Total revenue

 

$

222,915

 

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

612,031

 

 

$

399,898

 

22


 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Segment income (loss) from operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

41,931

 

 

$

46,462

 

 

$

111,515

 

 

$

82,061

 

International

 

 

(1,855

)

 

 

(2,895

)

 

 

(7,171

)

 

 

(17,766

)

Total income from operations

 

$

40,076

 

 

$

43,567

 

 

$

104,344

 

 

$

64,295

 

The Company ceased the operations of the International segment online marketplaces in Germany, Italy, and Spain in the second quarter of 2020.

As of September 30, 2020,2021, total assets held outside of the United States were $31,627,$33,877, primarily attributable to $15,880$15,728 of goodwill and $3,577 of intangible assets. goodwill. As of December 31, 2019,2020, total assets held outside of the United States were $32,528,$32,012, primarily attributable to $15,207$16,652 of goodwill and $3,920 of intangible assets.goodwill.

 

23



Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, and the related notes thereto, appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or Quarterly Report,, and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on February 14, 2020,12, 2021, or our Annual Report.Report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or elsewhere in this Quarterly Report,, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and our performance and future success, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” You should review the “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. In this discussion, we use financial measures that are considered non-GAAP financial measures under SEC rules. These rules regarding non-GAAP financial measures require supplemental explanation and reconciliation, which are included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.Report. Investors should not consider non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from or in substitution for, financial information presented in compliance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP.

Company Overview

CarGurus is a global,multinational, online automotive platform for buying and selling vehicles that is building upon its industry-leading listings marketplace connecting buyerswith both digital retail solutions and sellers of newthe CarOffer online wholesale platform. The CarGurus marketplace gives consumers the confidence to purchase or sell a vehicle either online or in-person; and used cars. Usinggives dealerships the power to accurately price, effectively market, instantly acquire and quickly sell vehicles, all with a nationwide reach. We use our proprietary technology, search algorithms and innovative data analytics to bring trust, transparency and competitive pricing to the automotive shopping experience.

We are headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and were incorporated in the State of Delaware on June 26, 2015.

We operate principally in the United States. In the United States, we provide informationalso operate as independent brands the Autolist online marketplace, which we wholly own, and analysis that createCarOffer digital wholesale marketplace, in which we have a differentiated automotive search experience for consumers. Our trusted marketplace empowers users with unbiased third‑party validation on pricing and dealer reputation as well as other information that aids them in finding “Great Deals from Top-Rated Dealers.”

51% interest. In addition to the United States, we operate online marketplaces under the CarGurus brand in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, we also operate as an independent brand the PistonHeads online marketplace, which we wholly own. We also operated online marketplaces in Germany, Italy, and Spain until we ceased the operations of each of these marketplaces in the second quarter of 2020.In the United States and the United Kingdom, we also operate the Autolist and PistonHeads online marketplaces, respectively, as independent brands.

We have subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, we have two reportable segments, United States and International. See Note 1413 of ourthe Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

We generate marketplace subscription revenue from dealers primarily through Listings and Dealer Display subscriptions, and advertisingsubscriptions. We generate wholesale and other revenue primarily from automobilerevenue relating to the wholesale sale of automobiles, display advertising revenue from auto manufacturers and other auto-related brand advertisers as well asand revenue from partnerships with financing services companies. We generated

Our revenue of $147.5 million infor the three months ended September 30, 2020,2021 was $222.9 million, a 2% decrease51% increase from $150.5$147.5 million of revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2019. 2020. For the three months ended September 30, 2021, we generated consolidated net income of $29.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $62.5 million, compared to consolidated net income of $32.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $57.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020.

Our revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 was $399.9$612.0 million, a 7% decrease53% increase from $430.8$399.9 million of revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, we generated net income of $32.6 million and our Adjusted EBITDA was $57.0 million, compared to net income of 2020. $10.4 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $20.6 million, for the three months ended September 30, 2019. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020,2021, we generated consolidated net income of $76.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $179.5 million, compared to consolidated net income of $52.4 million and our Adjusted EBITDA was $112.2 million, compared to net income of $29.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $51.9$112.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. 2020.

See “Adjusted EBITDA” below for more information regarding our use of Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to our consolidated net income.

24


COVID-19 Update

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, now referred to asThe COVID-19 surfaced in Wuhan, China. The virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and has spread globally. This pandemic has caused an international health crisis and resulted in significant disruptions to the global economy as well as businesses and capital markets around the world.

The Our operations have been materially adversely affected by a range of factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse effects have become widespread in the locations wherepandemic. In March 2020, we and our customers, suppliers and third-party business partners conduct business and as a result, we have experienced disruptions in our operations. For example, in March, wetemporarily closed all of our offices (including our corporate headquarters) and began requiring our employees to work remotely (subject to limited exceptions) until further notice.notice, which has disrupted how we operate our business. In addition, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, many countries, as well as states and localities in the United States, implemented or mandated and continue to implement or mandate significant restrictions on travel and commerce, shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders, and business closures. Fluctuation in infection rates in the regions in which we operate has resulted in periodic changes in restrictions that vary from region to region and may require rapid response to new or reinstated orders. Many of these orders resulted in restrictions on the ability of consumers to buy and sell automobiles by restricting operations at dealerships and/or by closing or reducing the services provided by the agencies that process the registration of automotive titles. While certain jurisdictions, including many within the United States, have implemented or are implementing policies with the goal of re-opening these markets, restrictions may be re-imposed in these markets due to increases


in COVID-19 cases.service providers upon which dealerships rely. In addition, these restrictions and concernscontinued concern about the spread of the disease have impacted car shopping by consumers and disrupted the operations of car dealerships, which has adversely affected the market for automobile purchases. While consumer demand has improved since the initial impact ofThe automotive industry is also facing inventory supply problems, including for reasons attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic and other macroeconomic issues, such as the automotive industry is experiencing, and may continue to experience, inventory supply problems, especially resulting from wholesale used-car auction closures and escalating auction prices,global semiconductor chip shortage, which have adversely affected the levelamount of used-car inventory held by our paying dealers and displayed on our websites.

As a result of the travel and commerce restrictions and the impact on their businesses, a number of our dealer customers temporarily closed or are operating on a reduced capacity, and many dealerships are facing significant financial challenges.Such closures and circumstances led some paying dealers to cancel their subscriptions and/or reduce their spending with us, which has had and may continue to have a material adverse effect on our revenues and onour business.

Further, because of the significant financial challenges that dealerships have faced, we took measures to help our paying dealers maintain their business health during the COVID-19 pandemic, including by proactively reducing the subscription fees for paying dealers for certain service periods. As a result, the level of fees we received from paying dealers materially decreased during the year ended December 31, 2020, resulting in a material decline in our revenue and a material adverse effect to our business. In addition, despite our proactive fee reductions during the second quarter of 2020, we experienced increased customer cancellation rates and slowed paying dealer additions, which materially and adversely affected our business financial condition and results of operations.for the year ended December 31, 2020. We have also experienced an increase inincreased account delinquencies from dealer customers challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic that failed to pay us on time or at all.

Further, because However, since the second quarter of the significant financial challenges that dealerships have faced and continue to face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we took measures to help our2020, cancellations by paying dealers maintain their business health duringhave begun to stabilize, which we believe resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. We proactively reduced the subscription fees for paying dealers by at least 50% on all marketplace subscriptions for the April and May 2020 service periods,resumption of consumer activity as well as the fee reductions that we provided a fee reduction on all June 2020 marketplace subscriptions of 20%to our customers. Additionally, while we suspended charging subscription fees for paying dealers in the United StatesKingdom for the February 2021 service period, during the three and Canada and 50% for paying dealersnine months ended September 30, 2021, we returned to normal contractual billings in all other markets. Although the United Kingdom. These fee reductions resulted inhad a modification to contracts with initial contractual periods greater than one month. For any contract modified, we calculated the remaining transaction price and allocated the consideration over the remaining performance obligations. These fee reductions materially and adversely impactedmaterial adverse effect on our revenue for the second quarter ofyear ended December 31, 2020, they did not have a material adverse impact on the three and had an immaterial impact for the third quarter of 2020.nine months ended September 30, 2021.

These effects from the COVID-19 pandemic on our revenue caused us to implement certain cost-savings measures across our business.business, which disrupted our business and operations during the year ended December 31, 2020. For example, during the second quarter of 2020, we initiated a cost-savings initiative, or the Expense Reduction Plan, that included a reduction in our workforce, of approximately 13%, restricted future hiring, and limiteda limitation in discretionary spend across our business, including by eliminating, reducing or pausing certain vendor relationships and our ceasing certain international operations and expansion efforts. In particular, we ceased marketplace operations in Germany, Italy, and Spain, and halted any new international expansion efforts, which we believe will allow us to focus our financial and human capital resources on our more established international markets in Canada and the United Kingdom. We also reduced consumer marketing across both algorithmic traffic acquisition and brand spend during the second and third quarters ofyear ended December 31, 2020 in comparison to the second and third quarters ofyear ended December 31, 2019 in an effort to reduce expenses and as a result of suppressed dealer inventory and the resulting reduced demand for leads by dealers.

In May, cancellations by paying dealers began to stabilize, whichdealers. However, since the second quarter of 2020, we believe resulted from the resumptionhave increased our consumer marketing expenses, though remaining short of consumer activity as well as the fee reductions that we provided to our customers. In July, we returned to normal contractual billings in all markets. Additionally,pre-pandemic levels, as consumer activity increased and governments began to implement phasedimplemented re-opening policies, we sequentially increased our consumer marketing expenses each month during the second and third quarters of 2020.policies.

We continue to monitor and assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our commercial operations, including the impact on our revenue in 2020.revenue. However, we cannot at this time accurately predict what effects these conditions will ultimately have on our future revenue and operations. See the “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report for further discussion of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business.

25


Key Business Metrics

We regularly review a number of metrics, including the key metrics listed below, to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections, and make operating and strategic decisions. We believe it is important to evaluate these metrics for the United States and International segments. The International segment derives revenues from marketplace subscriptions advertising services, and other revenues from customers outside of the United States. International markets perform differently from the United States market due to a variety of factors, including our operating history in each market, our rate of investment, market size, market maturity, competition and other dynamics unique to each country. The metrics presented below exclude CarOffer as we believe such metrics are either not applicable for the CarOffer business or do not provide a meaningful way to evaluate the CarOffer business.


Monthly Unique Users

For each of our websites, we define a monthly unique user as an individual who has visited any such website within a calendar month, based on data as measured by Google Analytics. We calculate average monthly unique users as the sum of the monthly unique users of each of our websites in a given period, divided by the number of months in that period. We count a unique user the first time a computer or mobile device with a unique device identifier accesses oneany of our websites during a calendar month. If an individual accesses a website using a different device within a given month, the first access by each such device is counted as a separate unique user. If an individual uses multiple browsers on a single device and/or clears their cookies and returns to our site within a calendar month, each such visit is counted as a separate unique user. We view our average monthly unique users as a key indicator of the quality of our user experience, the effectiveness of our advertising and traffic acquisition, and the strength of our brand awareness. Measuring unique users is important to us and we believe it provides useful information to our investors because our marketplace subscription revenue depends, in part, on our ability to provide dealers with connections to our users and exposure to our marketplace audience. We define connections as interactions between consumers and dealers on our marketplace through phone calls, email, managed text and chat, and clicks to access the dealer’s website or map directions to the dealership.

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Average Monthly Unique Users

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

United States

 

 

38,655

 

(1)

 

38,062

 

 

 

28,818

 

 

 

38,655

 

 

International

 

 

7,784

 

 

 

10,187

 

 

 

 

7,461

 

 

 

7,784

 

 

Total

 

 

46,439

 

 

 

48,249

 

 

 

36,279

 

 

 

46,439

 

(1)

Includes users from the Autolist website.

Monthly Sessions

We define monthly sessions as the number of distinct visits to our websites that take place each month within a given time frame, as measured and defined by Google Analytics. We calculate average monthly sessions as the sum of the monthly sessions in a given period, divided by the number of months in that period. A session is defined as beginning with the first page view from a computer or mobile device and ending at the earliest of when a user closes their browser window, after 30 minutes of inactivity, or each night at midnight (i) Eastern Time for our United States and Canada websites, other than the Autolist website, (ii) Pacific Time for the Autolist website and (iii) Greenwich Mean Time for our U.K. websites, and (iv) Central European Time (or Central European Summer Time when daylight savings is observed) for our Germany, Italy, and Spain websites, which ceased operations in the second quarter of 2020.websites. A session can be made up of multiple page views and visitor actions, such as performing a search, visiting vehicle detail pages, and connecting with a dealer. We believe that measuring the volume of sessions in a time period, when considered in conjunction with the number of unique users in that time period, is an important indicator to us of consumer satisfaction and engagement with our marketplace, and we believe it provides useful information to our investors because the more satisfied and engaged consumers we have, the more valuable our service is to dealers.

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Average Monthly Sessions

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

United States

 

 

94,288

 

(1)

 

103,461

 

 

 

 

71,184

 

 

 

94,288

 

 

International

 

 

18,274

 

 

 

26,168

 

 

 

 

17,119

 

 

 

18,274

 

 

Total

 

 

112,562

 

 

 

129,629

 

 

 

 

88,303

 

 

 

112,562

 

 

(1)

26


Includes sessions from the Autolist website.


Number of Paying Dealers

We define a paying dealer as a dealer account with an active, paid marketplace subscription at the end of a defined period. The number of paying dealers we have is important to us and we believe it provides valuable information to investors because it is indicative of the value proposition of our marketplace products, as well as our sales and marketing success and opportunity, including our ability to retain paying dealers and develop new dealer relationships.

 

At September 30,

 

 

 

At September 30

 

Number of Paying Dealers

 

2020

 

 

2019(1)

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

United States

 

 

23,659

 

(2)

 

26,163

 

 

 

 

23,979

 

 

 

23,659

 

 

International

 

 

6,503

 

 

 

6,923

 

 

 

 

6,775

 

 

 

6,503

 

 

Total

 

 

30,162

 

 

 

33,086

 

 

 

 

30,754

 

 

 

30,162

 

 

(1)

In our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on August 6, 2020, we announced that we had modified our method for calculating paying dealers to align our data with an enterprise system upgrade, or the Internal System Upgrade, and had replaced our Average Annual Revenue per Subscribing Dealer key metric with Quarterly Average Revenue per Subscribing Dealer, or QARSD. As a result of the Internal System Upgrade, and to provide consistency in our year-to-year comparisons, we have recast our paying dealer calculation as of September 30, 2019 to reflect the updated calculation methodology.

(2)

Includes paying dealers from the Autolist website.

Quarterly Average Revenue per Subscribing Dealer (QARSD)

We define QARSD, which is measured at the end of a fiscal quarter, as the marketplace subscription revenue during that trailing quarter divided by the average number of paying dealers in that marketplace during the quarter. We calculate the average number of paying dealers for a period by adding the number of paying dealers at the end of such period and the end of the prior period and dividing by two. This information is important to us, and we believe it provides useful information to investors, because we believe that our ability to grow QARSD is an indicator of the value proposition of our products and the return on investment, or ROI, that our paying dealers realize from our products. In addition, increases in QARSD, which we believe reflect the value of exposure to our engaged audience in relation to subscription cost, are driven in part by our ability to grow the volume of connections to our users and the quality of those connections, which result in increased opportunity to upsell package levels and cross-sell additional products to our paying dealers.

 

At September 30,

 

 

At September 30

 

Quarterly Average Revenue per Subscribing Dealer (QARSD)

 

2020

 

 

2019(1)

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

United States

 

$

5,133

 

 

n/a

 

 

$

5,602

 

 

$

5,133

 

International

 

$

1,256

 

 

n/a

 

 

$

1,524

 

 

$

1,256

 

Consolidated

 

$

4,302

 

 

n/a

 

 

$

4,704

 

 

$

4,302

 

(1)

As a result of the Internal System Upgrade, we are unable to provide QARSD as of September 30, 2019 because we are unable to provide the number of paying dealers for the end of the periodprior to the quarter ended September 30, 2019, which is necessary to calculate the average number of paying dealers for the period, and therefore are unable to calculate QARSD as of September 30, 2019.

Adjusted EBITDA

To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we monitor and have presented within this Quarterly Report, Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non‑GAAP financial measure. This non‑GAAP financial measure is not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, and is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as consolidated net income, adjusted to exclude: depreciation and amortization, stock‑based compensation expense, acquisition-related expenses, restructuring expenses, other income, net, and the provision for (benefit from) income taxes.taxes, and net income attributable to the minority interest in acquired entities. We have presented Adjusted EBITDA within this Quarterly Report, because it is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans, and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that the exclusion of certain items in calculating Adjusted EBITDA can produce a useful measure for period‑to‑period comparisons of our business.


We use Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our operating performance and trends and make planning decisions. We believe Adjusted EBITDA helps identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the expenses that we exclude. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results, enhancing the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects, and allowing for greater transparency with respect to key financial metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision‑making. In addition, we evaluate our Adjusted EBITDA in relation to our revenue. We refer to this as Adjusted EBITDA margin and define it as Adjusted EBITDA divided by total revenue.

27


Our Adjusted EBITDA is not prepared in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation of, or as an alternative to, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of Adjusted EBITDA rather than consolidated net income, which is the most directly comparable GAAP equivalent. Some of these limitations are:

Adjusted EBITDA excludes depreciation and amortization expense and, although these are non‑cash expenses, the assets being depreciated may have to be replaced in the future;
Adjusted EBITDA excludes stock‑based compensation expense, which will be, for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense for our business and an important part of our compensation strategy;
Adjusted EBITDA excludes transaction and one-time acquisition-related expenses incurred by us during a reporting period, which may not be reflective of our operational performance during such period, for acquisitions that have been completed as of the filing date of our annual or quarterly report (as applicable) relating to such period;
Adjusted EBITDA excludes restructuring expenses incurred by us during a reporting period, which may not be reflective of our operational performance during such period;
Adjusted EBITDA excludes other income, net which primarily includes transition service agreement income, interest income earned on our cash, cash equivalents, and investments, sublease income and net foreign exchange gains and losses;
Adjusted EBITDA excludes the provision for income taxes;
Adjusted EBITDA excludes the income attributable to the minority interest in acquired entities, adjusted for all prior limitations to Adjusted EBITDA as described above; and
other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently, which reduces its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Adjusted EBITDA excludes depreciation and amortization expense and, although these are non‑cash expenses, the assets being depreciated may have to be replaced in the future;

Adjusted EBITDA excludes stock‑based compensation expense, which will be, for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense for our business and an important part of our compensation strategy;

Adjusted EBITDA excludes transaction and one-time acquisition-related expenses incurred by us during a reporting period, which may not be reflective of our operational performance during such period, for acquisitions that have been completed as of the filing date of our annual or quarterly report (as applicable) relating to such period;

Adjusted EBITDA excludes restructuring expenses incurred by us during a reporting period, which may not be reflective of our operational performance during such period;

Adjusted EBITDA excludes other income, net which primarily includes interest income earned on our cash, cash equivalents, and investments, sublease income and net foreign exchange gains and losses;

Adjusted EBITDA excludes the provision for (benefit from) income taxes; and

other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently, which reduces its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Because of these limitations, we consider, and you should consider, Adjusted EBITDA together with other operating and financial performance measures presented in accordance with GAAP.

The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDAEBITDA to consolidated net income, the most directly comparable measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, for each of the periods presented.

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA:

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Consolidated net income

 

$

29,267

 

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

76,214

 

 

$

52,390

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

10,656

 

 

 

2,432

 

 

 

29,487

 

 

 

8,779

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

15,169

 

 

 

11,030

 

 

 

53,102

 

 

 

34,634

 

Acquisition-related expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

709

 

 

 

968

 

Restructuring expenses (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,514

 

Other income, net

 

 

(143

)

 

 

(205

)

 

 

(426

)

 

 

(1,407

)

Provision for income taxes

 

 

10,952

 

 

 

11,209

 

 

 

28,556

 

 

 

13,312

 

Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA

 

 

65,901

 

 

 

57,029

 

 

 

187,642

 

 

 

112,190

 

Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest

 

 

(3,357

)

 

 

 

 

 

(8,094

)

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

62,544

 

 

$

57,029

 

 

$

179,548

 

 

$

112,190

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

 

 

2019(1)

 

 

2020

 

 

2019(1)

 

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA:

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Net income

 

$

32,563

 

 

 

 

$

10,384

 

 

$

52,390

 

 

$

28,975

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

2,432

 

 

 

 

 

2,118

 

 

 

8,779

 

 

 

5,659

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

11,030

 

 

 

 

 

8,761

 

 

 

34,634

 

 

 

25,390

 

Acquisition-related expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

34

 

 

 

968

 

 

 

125

 

Restructuring expenses(2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,514

 

 

 

 

Other income, net

 

 

(205

)

 

 

 

 

(1,010

)

 

 

(1,407

)

 

 

(3,505

)

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

 

11,209

 

 

 

 

 

330

 

 

 

13,312

 

 

 

(4,783

)

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

57,029

 

 

 

 

$

20,617

 

 

$

112,190

 

 

$

51,861

 

(1)
Excludes stock-based compensation expense of $753 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 related to the Expense Reduction Plan, as the amount is already included within the stock-based compensation line item in the Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA.

(1)

In December 2019, we revised our definition of Adjusted EBITDA to exclude the impact of acquisition-related expenses. This revised definition more accurately reflects management’s view of our business and financial performance. Adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 has been restated for comparison purposes.

(2)

Excludes stock-based compensation expense of $753 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 related to the expense reduction plan approved by our Board of Directors on April 13, 2020 to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, or the Expense Reduction Plan, as the amount is already included within the stock-based compensation line item in the Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA.


Components of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements

We derive revenue from two primary sources: (1) marketplace subscription revenue, which consists primarily of Listings and Dealer Display subscriptions, and (2) advertisingwholesale and other revenue, which consists primarily of revenue relating to the wholesale sale of automobiles, display advertising revenue from auto manufacturers and other auto‑related brand advertisers as well asand revenue from partnerships with financing services companies.

28


Marketplace Subscription Revenue

We offer multiple types of marketplace Listings packages to our dealers throughfor our platform:CarGurus U.S. platform (availability varies on our other marketplaces): Restricted Listings (formerly referred to as Basic Listings), which is free; and various levels of Listings packages, which each require a paid subscription under a monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual subscription basis.

Our subscriptions for customers generally auto-renew on a monthly basis and are cancellable by dealers with 30 days’ advance notice at the end of the committed term, although during the second quarter of 2020 we did not require dealers to provide 30 days’ advance notice of termination forfrom dealers who cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subscription pricing is determined based on a dealer’s inventory size, region, and our assessment of the connections and ROI the platform will provide them and is subject to discounts and/or fee reductions that we may offer from time to time. We also offer all dealers on our platform access to our Dealer Dashboard, which includes a performance summary, Dealer Insights tool, and user review management platform. Only dealers subscribing to a paid Listings package also have access to the Pricing Tool, and Market Analysis tool and our IMV Scan tool.

In addition to displaying inventory in our marketplace and providing access to the Dealer Dashboard, we offer dealers subscribing to certain of our Listings packages other subscription advertising and customer acquisition products and enhancements, including thoseDealer Display, which is marketed under our Real-time Performance Marketing suite, such as Dealer Display.suite. With Dealer Display, dealers can buy display advertising that appears in our marketplace, on other sites on the internet and/ and/or on Facebook, a highly converting social platform. Such advertisements can be targeted by the user’s geography, search history, CarGurus website activity (including showing a userconsumer relevant vehicles from a dealer’s inventory that the userconsumer has not yet discovered on our marketplace), and a number of other targeting factors, allowing dealers to increase their visibility with in-market consumers and drive qualified traffic for dealers.

We also offer paid Listings packages for the Autolist website and paid Listings and display products for the PistonHeads website.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a material adverse impact on our marketplace revenue as paying dealers cancelled their subscriptions with us (including, in some cases, with our permission prior to the end of the applicable contract term and notice period) and due to the fee reductions provided to customers in April, May and June in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in reductions in the overall transaction price that were spread over the remaining contract term. In May, cancellations by paying dealers began to stabilize, which we believe resulted from the resumption of consumer activity as well as the fee reductions that we provided to our customers. In July 2020, we returned to normal contractual billings in all markets.

AdvertisingWholesale and Other Revenue

AdvertisingWholesale and other revenue consists primarilyof revenue relating to the wholesale sale of automobiles, which includes transaction fees earned by CarOffer from facilitating the purchase and sale of vehicles between dealers, where CarOffer collects fees from both the buyer and seller. CarOffer also sells vehicles to dealers that CarOffer acquires at other marketplaces or directly from consumers – in these instances, CarOffer collects a transaction fee from the buyer. CarOffer also charges the buyer fees to perform inspection and transportation services for all wholesale transactions.

Wholesale and other revenue also consists of non-dealer display advertising revenue from auto manufacturers and other auto-related brand advertisers sold on a cost per thousand impressions, or CPM, basis. An impression is an advertisement loaded on a web page. In addition to advertising sold on a CPM basis, we also have advertising sold on a cost per click basis. Auto manufacturers and other brand advertisers can execute advertising campaigns that are targeted across a wide variety of parameters, including demographic groups, behavioral characteristics, specific auto brands, categories such as Certified Pre-Owned, and segments such as hybrid vehicles.

AdvertisingWholesale and other revenue also includes revenue from partnerships with certain financing services companies pursuant to which we enable eligible consumers on our United StatesCarGurus U.S. website to pre-qualify for financing on cars from dealerships that offer financing through such companies. Our revenuesWe primarily generate revenue from these financing partnerships are based on a funded-loan basis.the number of funded loans from consumers who pre-qualify with our lending partners through our site.

We also offer non-dealer display products for the Autolist and PistonHeads websites.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a material adverse impact on our advertising revenue as some advertisers cancelled or reduced their advertising with us (including, in certain cases, with our permission prior to the end of the applicable contract term). In May, cancellations by advertising customers began to stabilize, which we believe resulted from the resumption of consumer activity.


In addition, a reduction in consumer visits to our sites during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the delivery of fewer impressions for our advertising customers than anticipated, which caused an adverse impact on our advertising revenue. This impact was partially offset by the increase in consumer visits over the course of the second and third quarters to our sites as we increased our consumer marketing expenses in response to the recovery in consumer and car shopping activity.

Revenue from partnerships with financing services companies was not adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.For a description of our revenue accounting policies, see “— Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates.”

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue primarily consistsincludes expenses incurred to support revenue relating to the wholesale sale of costsautomobiles. These expense include the expenses to facilitate the purchase and sale of vehicles between dealers and from fulfilling buy orders from dealers through the acquisition of vehicles at other marketplaces and directly from consumers. The primary expenses incurred for wholesale transactions include the expenses to transport and inspect vehicles, certain salaries, benefits, incentive compensation and stock-based compensation for employees directly involved in the fulfillment and support of transactions, allocated overhead expenses and other third-party expenses. In limited circumstances, typically during an arbitration process, CarOffer acquires vehicles in transactions for which it is deemed to control the vehicle and recognizes the cost of the vehicle through cost of revenue when the vehicle is sold.

29


Cost of revenue also includes expenses related to supporting and hosting our digital product offerings. These costsexpenses include salaries, benefits, incentive compensation, and stock-based compensation for our customer support team and third-party service provider costsexpenses such as advertising, data center and networking expenses, allocated overhead costs,expense, depreciation expense associated with our property and equipment, and amortization of capitalized website development costs. We allocate overhead costs,expenses, such as rent and facility costs,expenses, information technology costs,expense, and employee benefit costs,expense, to all departments based on headcount. As such, general overhead expenses are reflected in cost of revenue and each operating expense category. Despite our implementation of several cost saving initiatives associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, weWe expect these expenses to increase as we continue to scale our business and introduce new products.

Operating Expenses

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel and related expenses for our sales and marketing team, including salaries, benefits, incentive compensation, commissions, stock-based compensation, and travel costs; costsexpenses; expenses associated with consumer marketing, such as traffic acquisition, brand building, and public relations activities; costsexpenses associated with dealer marketing, such as content marketing, customer and promotional events, and industry events; amortization of internal-use software; and allocated overhead costs.expenses. A portion of our commissions that are related to obtaining a new contract is capitalized and amortized over the estimated benefit period of customer relationships. All other sales and marketing costsexpenses are expensed as incurred. We expect sales and marketing expenses to fluctuate from quarter to quarter as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the macroeconomic and competitive landscape aroundlandscapes affecting our existing dealers, consumer audience and our brand awareness, which will impact our quarterly results of operations.

Product, Technology, and Development

Product, technology, and development expenses, which include research and development costs,expenses, consist primarily of personnel and related expenses for our development team, including salaries, benefits, incentive compensation, stock-based compensation and allocated overhead costs.expense. Other than website development and internal-use software costsexpenses as well as other costs that qualify for capitalization, research and development costsexpenses are expensed as incurred. Despite our implementation of several cost saving initiatives associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, weWe expect product, technology, and development expenses to increase as we invest in additional engineering resourcing to develop new solutions and make improvements to our existing platform.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel and related expenses for our executive, finance, legal, human resources,people & talent, and administrative teams, including salaries, benefits, incentive compensation, and stock-based compensation, in addition to the costsexpenses associated with professional fees for external legal, accounting and other consulting services, insurance premiums, payment processing and billing costs,expenses, and allocated overhead costs.expenses. General and administrative costsexpenses are expensed as incurred. Despite our implementation of several cost saving initiatives associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, weWe expect general and administrative expenses to increase as we continue to scale our business.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of depreciation on property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net consists primarily of transition service agreement income, interest income earned on our cash, cash equivalents, and investments, sublease income and net foreign exchange gains and losses.


Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes

We are subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. We have recognizedrecorded a provision for income taxes for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and 2019. We have recognized a provision for income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 and a benefit from income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2019.2020. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities based on temporary differences between the financial reporting and income tax bases of assets and liabilities using statutory rates. We regularly assess the need to record a valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets if, based upon the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Our valuation allowanceallowances against our net deferred tax assets as of September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019 was2020 were both immaterial.

30


Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our selected consolidated income statements of operations data for each of the periods indicated. The period-to-period comparison of financial results is not necessarily indicative of future results.

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

$

129,953

 

 

$

135,542

 

 

$

351,772

 

 

$

385,481

 

 

$

144,589

 

 

$

129,953

 

 

$

428,394

 

$

351,772

 

Advertising and other

 

 

17,519

 

 

 

14,920

 

 

 

48,126

 

 

 

45,282

 

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

78,326

 

 

 

17,519

 

 

 

183,637

 

 

48,126

 

Total revenue

 

 

147,472

 

 

 

150,462

 

 

 

399,898

 

 

 

430,763

 

 

222,915

 

 

 

147,472

 

 

 

612,031

 

399,898

 

Cost of revenue

 

 

9,762

 

 

 

9,392

 

 

 

31,252

 

 

 

25,740

 

 

 

60,033

 

 

9,762

 

 

 

134,408

 

 

31,252

 

Gross profit

 

 

137,710

 

 

 

141,070

 

 

 

368,646

 

 

 

405,023

 

 

162,882

 

137,710

 

 

 

477,623

 

368,646

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

57,618

 

 

 

100,133

 

 

 

189,796

 

 

 

293,238

 

 

66,626

 

57,618

 

 

 

200,935

 

189,796

 

Product, technology, and development

 

 

20,758

 

 

 

17,745

 

 

 

65,729

 

 

 

51,063

 

 

26,539

 

20,758

 

 

 

79,333

 

65,729

 

General and administrative

 

 

14,279

 

 

 

12,322

 

 

 

44,297

 

 

 

36,622

 

 

20,414

 

14,279

 

 

 

67,095

 

44,297

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

1,488

 

 

 

1,166

 

 

 

4,529

 

 

 

3,413

 

 

 

9,227

 

 

1,488

 

 

 

25,916

 

 

4,529

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

94,143

 

 

 

131,366

 

 

 

304,351

 

 

 

384,336

 

 

 

122,806

 

 

94,143

 

 

 

373,279

 

 

304,351

 

Income from operations

 

 

43,567

 

 

 

9,704

 

 

 

64,295

 

 

 

20,687

 

 

40,076

 

43,567

 

 

 

104,344

 

64,295

 

Other income, net:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

174

 

 

 

759

 

 

 

1,053

 

 

 

2,247

 

Other income, net

 

 

31

 

 

 

251

 

 

 

354

 

 

 

1,258

 

 

 

143

 

 

205

 

 

 

426

 

 

1,407

 

Total other income, net

 

 

205

 

 

 

1,010

 

 

 

1,407

 

 

 

3,505

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

43,772

 

 

 

10,714

 

 

 

65,702

 

 

 

24,192

 

 

40,219

 

43,772

 

 

 

104,770

 

65,702

 

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

 

11,209

 

 

 

330

 

 

 

13,312

 

 

 

(4,783

)

Net income

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

10,384

 

 

$

52,390

 

 

$

28,975

 

Provision for income taxes

 

 

10,952

 

 

11,209

 

 

 

28,556

 

 

13,312

 

Consolidated net income

 

29,267

 

32,563

 

 

 

76,214

 

52,390

 

Net income (loss) attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest

 

 

68

 

 

 

 

 

(3,398

)

 

 

 

Net income attributable to common stockholders

 

$

29,199

 

$

32,563

 

 

$

79,612

 

$

52,390

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Additional Financial Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

138,412

 

 

$

141,637

 

 

$

376,164

 

 

$

407,050

 

 

$

211,554

 

 

$

138,412

 

 

$

581,149

 

 

$

376,164

 

International

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

8,825

 

 

 

23,734

 

 

 

23,713

 

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

30,882

 

 

 

23,734

 

Total

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

150,462

 

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

430,763

 

 

$

222,915

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

612,031

 

$

399,898

 

Income (Loss) from Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

46,462

 

 

$

19,956

 

 

$

82,061

 

 

$

51,456

 

 

$

41,931

 

 

$

46,462

 

 

$

111,515

 

 

$

82,061

 

International

 

 

(2,895

)

 

 

(10,252

)

 

 

(17,766

)

 

 

(30,769

)

 

 

(1,855

)

 

 

(2,895

)

 

 

(7,171

)

 

 

(17,766

)

Total

 

$

43,567

 

 

$

9,704

 

 

$

64,295

 

 

$

20,687

 

 

$

40,076

 

$

43,567

 

 

$

104,344

 

$

64,295

 


31


The following table sets forth our selected consolidated income statements of operations data as a percentage of revenue for each of the periods indicated. Amounts in tables below may not sum due to rounding.

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

 

88

%

 

 

90

%

 

 

88

%

 

 

89

%

 

65

%

 

 

88

%

 

 

70

%

 

 

88

%

Advertising and other

 

 

12

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

11

 

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

35

 

 

12

 

 

30

 

 

12

 

Total revenue

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

100

 

 

 

100

 

 

 

100

 

 

 

100

 

Cost of revenue

 

 

7

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

27

 

 

7

 

 

22

 

 

8

 

Gross profit

 

 

93

 

 

 

94

 

 

 

92

 

 

 

94

 

 

73

 

93

 

78

 

92

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

38

 

 

 

67

 

 

 

48

 

 

 

67

 

 

30

 

39

 

33

 

47

 

Product, technology, and development

 

 

14

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

12

 

 

12

 

14

 

13

 

16

 

General and administrative

 

 

10

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

9

 

 

9

 

10

 

11

 

11

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

4

 

 

1

 

 

4

 

 

1

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

63

 

 

 

88

 

 

 

76

 

 

 

89

 

 

 

55

 

 

64

 

 

61

 

 

76

 

Income from operations

 

 

30

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

5

 

 

18

 

30

 

17

 

16

 

Other income, net:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

0

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

1

 

Other income, net

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

Total other income, net

 

 

0

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

1

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

30

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

6

 

 

18

 

 

 

30

 

17

 

 

 

16

 

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

 

8

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

(1

)

Net income

 

 

22

%

 

 

7

%

 

 

13

%

 

 

7

%

Provision for income taxes

 

 

5

 

 

8

 

 

5

 

 

3

 

Consolidated net income

 

13

 

 

 

22

 

12

 

13

 

Net income (loss) attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

Net income attributable to common stockholders

 

 

13

%

 

 

22

%

 

 

13

%

 

 

13

%

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Additional Financial Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

94

%

 

 

94

%

 

 

94

%

 

 

94

%

 

95

%

 

 

94

%

 

 

95

%

 

 

94

%

International

 

 

6

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

5

 

 

6

 

 

5

 

 

6

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

Income (Loss) from Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

32

%

 

 

13

%

 

 

20

%

 

 

12

%

 

19

%

 

 

32

%

 

 

18

%

 

 

21

%

International

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(7

)

 

 

(4

)

 

 

(7

)

 

 

(1

)

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(1

)

 

 

(4

)

Total

 

 

30

%

 

 

6

%

 

 

16

%

 

 

5

%

 

 

18

%

 

 

30

%

 

 

17

%

 

 

16

%

For the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020

Revenue

Revenue by Source

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

$

144,589

 

 

$

129,953

 

 

$

14,636

 

 

 

11

%

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

78,326

 

 

 

17,519

 

 

 

60,807

 

 

 

347

 

Total

 

$

222,915

 

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

75,443

 

 

 

51

%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

 

65

%

 

 

88

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

35

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

32


Overall revenue increased by $75.4 million, or 51%, in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020. Wholesale and other revenue increased by 347% and marketplace subscription revenue increased by 11%.

Marketplace subscription revenue increased by $14.6 million in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019

Revenue

Revenue by Source


 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

$

129,953

 

 

$

135,542

 

 

$

(5,589

)

 

 

(4

)%

Advertising and other

 

 

17,519

 

 

 

14,920

 

 

 

2,599

 

 

 

17

 

Total

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

150,462

 

 

$

(2,990

)

 

 

(2

)%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

 

88

%

 

 

90

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertising and other

 

 

12

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overallrepresented 65% of total revenue decreased by $3.0 million, or 2%, infor the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019. Marketplace subscription revenue decreased by 4%, while advertising2021 and other revenue increased by 17%.

Marketplace subscription revenue decreased by $5.6 million in the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019 and represented 88% of total revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase in marketplace subscription revenue was due primarily to a 9% growth in our QARSD for paying dealers to $4,704 at September 30, 2021 from $4,302 at September 30, 2020. The increase in QARSD was due primarily to expansion across our dealer base. The expansion was driven by rate increases since the third quarter of 2020 and 90%product upgrades for existing dealers and signing on new dealers with higher average monthly recurring revenue.

Wholesale and other revenue increased by $60.8 million in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020 and represented 35% of total revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2019. The decrease was due primarily to a 9% decrease in the number of paying dealers to 30,162 at September 30, 2020 from 33,086 at September 30, 2019 as paying dealers cancelled their subscriptions with us as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advertising2021 and other revenue increased by $2.6 million in the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019 and represented 12% of total revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 10% of total revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2019. 2020.The increase was due primarily to a $2.9$63.0 million increase in otherwholesale revenue primarily due to revenue from partnerships with financing services companies.  The increaseour acquisition of a 51% interest in advertisingCarOffer and other revenue was offset in part by a $0.3$2.0 million decrease in advertising revenue as some advertisers cancelled or reduced their advertising with us as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase for the three months ended September 30, 2020 is inclusive of advertising and other revenue associated with Autolist of $1.3 million.consumer financing revenue.

Revenue by Segment

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

138,412

 

 

$

141,637

 

 

$

(3,225

)

 

 

(2

)%

 

$

211,554

 

 

$

138,412

 

$

73,142

 

53

%

International

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

8,825

 

 

 

235

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

9,060

 

 

2,301

 

 

25

 

Total

 

$

147,472

 

 

$

150,462

 

 

$

(2,990

)

 

 

(2

)%

 

$

222,915

 

 

$

147,472

 

$

75,443

 

 

51

%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

94

%

 

 

94

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

95

%

 

 

94

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

International

 

 

6

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States revenue decreased $3.2increased $73.1 million, or 2%53%, in the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019,due primarily to a 10% decrease in United States paying dealers as paying dealers cancelled their subscriptions with us as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International revenue stayed relatively consistent in the three months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019.


2020. The increase was due primarilyCost to a $63.0 million increase in wholesale revenue due to our acquisition of Revenue a 51% interest in CarOffer. The increase in United States revenue was also due in part to a 9% growth in our QARSD for United States dealers to $5,602 at September 30, 2021 from $5,133 at September 30, 2020. The increase in QARSD was due primarily to expansion across our dealer base. The expansion was driven by rate increases and product upgrades for existing dealers and signing on new dealers with higher average monthly recurring revenue.

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Cost of revenue

 

$

9,762

 

 

$

9,392

 

 

$

370

 

 

 

4

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

7

%

 

 

6

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost ofInternational revenue increased $0.4$2.3 million, or 4%25%, in the three months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019.2020. T Thehe increase was due primarily to a $0.921% growth in our QARSD for international dealers to $1,524 at September 30, 2021 from $1,256 at September 30, 2020. The increase in QARSD was due primarily to expansion across our dealer base. The expansion was driven by rate increases and product upgrades for existing dealers and signing on new dealers with higher average monthly recurring revenue.

Cost of Revenue

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Cost of revenue

 

$

60,033

 

 

$

9,762

 

 

$

50,271

 

 

 

515

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

27

%

 

 

7

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenue increased $50.3 million, or 515%, in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to $48.3 million in cost of revenue attributable to our wholesale offerings from CarOffer. The increase was also due in part to a $1.0 million increase in fees related to provisioning advertising campaigns on our websites and a $0.5 million increase in data center and hosting costs. These increases were offsetamortization expense included in part by a $0.7 million decrease in salaries and employee-related costs due to a 47% decrease in headcount primarily in connection with the Expense Reduction Plan and a $0.3 million decrease in costs for content on our websites due to ceasing operations in certain international markets. The increase for the three months ended September 30, 2020 is inclusive of cost of revenue associated with Autolist of $0.3 million.revenue.

33


Operating Expenses

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Amount

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Sales and marketing

 

$

57,618

 

 

$

100,133

 

 

$

(42,515

)

 

 

(42

)%

 

$

66,626

 

 

$

57,618

 

 

$

9,008

 

16

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

38

%

 

 

67

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30

%

 

 

39

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing expenses decreased $42.5 million, or 42%, in the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019The decrease was due primarily to a $40.8 million decrease in advertising costs, a $0.7 million decrease in travel expenses and a $0.6 million decrease in consulting expenses, as a result of cost-savings efforts we implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Product, Technology, and Development Expenses

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Product, technology, and development

 

$

20,758

 

 

$

17,745

 

 

$

3,013

 

 

 

17

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

14

%

 

 

12

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product, technology, and development expenses increased $3.0 million, or 17%, in the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019. The increase was due primarily to a $2.8 million increase in salaries and employee-related costs, exclusive of stock-based compensation expense, which increased $1.2 million. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs and stock-based compensation expense was due primarily to a 9% increase in headcount to support our growth plans and product innovations as well as an increase in promotions. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs was also due to merit increases. The increase in product, technology, and development expenses was also due in part to a $0.5 million increase in rent costs due to additional office space at 55 Cambridge Parkway, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These increases were offset in part by a $0.3 million decrease in consulting and recruiting expenses and a decrease in other product, technology, and development expenses as a result of cost-savings efforts we implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase for the three months ended September 30, 2020 is inclusive of product, technology, and development expenses associated with the integration and development of Autolist technology of $1.3 million.


General and Administrative Expenses

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

General and administrative

 

$

14,279

 

 

$

12,322

 

 

$

1,957

 

 

 

16

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

10

%

 

 

8

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General and administrative expenses increased $2.0$9.0 million, or 16%, in the three months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 20192020. The increase was due primarily to a $0.8$7.3 million increase in salaries and employee-related expense. The increase in salaries and employee-related expense was primarily driven by an increase in commissions expense, resulting from a 20% increase in headcount due to our acquisition of CarOffer, marketplace sales growth and a decrease of capitalizable costs to obtain contracts and an increase of non-capitalizable costs to obtain contracts. The increase in sales and marketing expenses was also due in part to a $1.3 million increase in marketing expense relative to marketing expense in the third quarter of 2020, which was impacted by the Expense Reduction Plan. The increase for the three months ended September 30, 2021 is inclusive of a $4.7 million increase in sales and marketing expenses associated with CarOffer.

Product, Technology, and Development Expenses

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Product, technology, and development

 

$

26,539

 

 

$

20,758

 

 

$

5,781

 

 

 

28

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

12

%

 

 

14

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product, technology, and development expenses increased $5.8 million, or 28%, in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to a $3.7 million increase in salaries and employee-related expense. The increase in salaries and employee-related expense was due primarily to a 39% increase in headcount. The increase in product, technology and development expenses was also due to a $0.9 million increase in expense due to write off of certain capitalized development projects for which the Company has decided to cease investment in, net of incremental additions, and a $0.8 million increase in rent and onboarding expenses driven by higher expense allocations resulting from increased headcount.

General and Administrative Expenses

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

General and administrative

 

$

20,414

 

 

$

14,279

 

 

$

6,135

 

 

 

43

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

9

%

 

 

10

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

General and administrative expenses increased $6.1 million, or 43%, in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to a $1.1 million increase in salaries and employee-related expense, exclusive of stock-based compensation expense, which increased $1.2$3.5 million. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs andexpense was due primarily to a 31% increase in headcount due primarily to our acquisition of CarOffer. The increase in stock-based compensation expense was due primarily to annual retention grants and the transferrevaluation of certain personnel between departments and an increase in promotions.liability-based stock awards. The increase in salariesgeneral and employee-related costsadministrative expenses was also due in part to merit increases.a $0.4 million increase in consulting expense, a $0.3 million increase in insurance expense and a $0.3 million increase in bad debt expense. The increase for the three months ended September 30, 2021 is inclusive of a $2.1 million increase in general and administrative expenses associated with CarOffer.

34


Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

1,488

 

 

$

1,166

 

 

$

322

 

 

 

28

%

 

$

9,227

 

 

$

1,488

 

$

7,739

 

520

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

1

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $0.3$7.7 million, or 28%520%, in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019, due primarily to an increase in amortization of intangible assets related to the acquired intangible assets from Autolist.CarOffer.

Other Income, Net

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Other income, net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

$

174

 

 

$

759

 

 

$

(585

)

 

 

(77

)%

Other income, net

 

 

31

 

 

 

251

 

 

 

(220

)

 

 

(88

)

Total other income, net

 

$

205

 

 

$

1,010

 

 

$

(805

)

 

 

(80

)%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

0

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income, net

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total other income, net

 

 

0

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Other income, net

 

$

143

 

 

$

205

 

 

$

(62

)

 

 

(30

)%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

0

%

 

 

0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total other income, net decreased $0.8$0.1 million, or 80%30%, in the three months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 20192020. The $0.6 million, due primarily to a decrease in interest income was due primarily to loweras a result of a decline in interest rates associated with our investments in certificates of deposit during the three months ended September 30, 2020 as all investments matured during the quarter.2021.

Provision for Income Taxes

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Provision for income taxes

 

$

11,209

 

 

$

330

 

 

$

10,879

 

 

NM

 

$

10,952

 

 

$

11,209

 

$

(257

)

 

(2

)%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

8

%

 

 

0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

%

 

 

8

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

NM — Not Meaningful


The provision for income taxes recorded increased $10.9 million during the three months ended September 30, 20202021, as compared to the provision for income taxes recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2019. This increase2020 was principally due to increased profitability year-over-year. Additionally, there was $0.2 millionin excess of tax expense relatedattributes available to shortfalls on the taxable compensation of share-based awards recorded duringoffset.

Income (Loss) from Operations by Segment

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

United States

 

$

41,931

 

 

$

46,462

 

 

$

(4,531

)

 

 

(10

)%

International

 

 

(1,855

)

 

 

(2,895

)

 

 

1,040

 

 

 

36

 

Total

 

$

40,076

 

 

$

43,567

 

 

$

(3,491

)

 

 

(8

)%

Percentage of segment revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

20

%

 

 

34

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

International

 

 

(16

)%

 

 

(32

)%

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States income from operations decreased $4.5 million, or 10%, in the three months ended September 30, 2020, compared to $1.9 million of tax benefit related to excess stock-based compensation deductions recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2019.

Income (Loss) from Operations by Segment

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

United States

 

$

46,462

 

 

$

19,956

 

 

$

26,506

 

 

 

133

%

International

 

 

(2,895

)

 

 

(10,252

)

 

 

7,357

 

 

 

72

 

Total

 

$

43,567

 

 

$

9,704

 

 

$

33,863

 

 

 

349

%

Percentage of segment revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

34

%

 

 

14

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International

 

(32)%

 

 

(116)%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States income from operations increased $26.5 million, or 133%, in the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019This increase was due to decreases in operating expenses of $30.7 million related to cost savings efforts in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, offset by decreases in revenue of $3.2 million and increases in cost of revenue of $1.0 million.

International loss from operations decreased $7.4 million, or 72%, in the three months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019. 2020.The decrease was due to decreasesincreases in operating expenses of $6.5$27.3 million due to ceasing of operations in certain markets and cost savings effortsof revenue of $50.3 million, offset in connection withpart by an increase in revenue by $73.1 million.

35


International loss from operations decreased $1.0 million, or 36%, in the COVID-19 pandemic, as well asthree months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease was due to an increase in revenue of $0.2$2.3 million, and a decreaseoffset in costpart by an increase in operating expenses of revenue of $0.7$1.3 million.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020

Revenue

Revenue by Source

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

$

428,394

 

 

$

351,772

 

 

$

76,622

 

 

 

22

%

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

183,637

 

 

 

48,126

 

 

 

135,511

 

 

 

282

 

Total

 

$

612,031

 

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

212,133

 

 

 

53

%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

 

70

%

 

 

88

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wholesale and other revenue

 

 

30

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall revenue increased by $212.1 million, or 53%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Wholesale and other revenue increased by 282% and marketplace subscription revenue increased by 22%.

Marketplace subscription revenue increased by $76.6 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019

Revenue

Revenue by Source

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

$

351,772

 

 

$

385,481

 

 

$

(33,709

)

 

 

(9

)%

Advertising and other

 

 

48,126

 

 

 

45,282

 

 

 

2,844

 

 

 

6

 

Total

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

430,763

 

 

$

(30,865

)

 

 

(7

)%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace subscription

 

 

88

%

 

 

89

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertising and other

 

 

12

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overallrepresented 70% of total revenue decreased by $30.9 million, or 7%, infor the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Marketplace subscription revenue decreased by 9%, while advertising2021 and other revenue increased by 6%.

Marketplace subscription revenue decreased by $33.7 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and represented 88% of total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to the approximately $50 million impact of fee reductions that we provided to our paying dealers during the second quarter of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, of which approximately $47 million resulted in revenue reductions during such quarter, with the remaining impact spread over the life of the contract term. The increase in marketplace subscription revenue was also due in part to a 9% growth in our QARSD for paying dealers to $4,704 at September 30, 2021 from $4,302 at September 30, 2020. The increase in QARSD was due primarily to expansion across our dealer base. The expansion was driven by rate increases since the third quarter of 2020 and 89%product upgrades for existing dealers and signing on new dealers with higher average monthly recurring revenue.

Wholesale and other revenue increased by $135.5 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and represented 30% of total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The decrease was due primarily to a 9% decrease in the number of paying dealers to 30,162 at September 30, 2020 from 33,086 at September 30, 2019 as paying dealers cancelled their subscriptions with us (including, in some cases, with our permission prior to the end of the applicable contract term2021 and notice period) as a result of


the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to the fee reductions provided to customers in April, May and June in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in reductions in the overall transaction price that were spread over the remaining contract term.

Advertising and other revenue increased by $2.8 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and represented 12% of total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 11%2020.The increase was due primarily to a $135.8 million increase in wholesale revenue due to our acquisition of totala 51% interest in CarOffer.

Revenue by Segment

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

581,149

 

 

$

376,164

 

 

$

204,985

 

 

 

54

%

International

 

 

30,882

 

 

 

23,734

 

 

 

7,148

 

 

 

30

 

Total

 

$

612,031

 

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

212,133

 

 

 

53

%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

95

%

 

 

94

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

International

 

 

5

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

36


United States revenue forincreased $205.0 million, or 54%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to a $135.8 million increase in wholesale revenue due to our acquisition of a 51% interest in CarOffer. Additionally, the increase was due to approximately $44 million in revenue reductions during the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the impact of fee reductions that we provided to our United States paying dealers during such quarter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in United States revenue was also due in part to a 9% growth in our QARSD for United States dealers to $5,602 at September 30, 2021 from $5,133 at September 30, 2020. The increase in QARSD was due primarily to expansion across our dealer base. The expansion was driven by rate increases and product upgrades for existing dealers and signing on new dealers with higher average monthly recurring revenue.

International revenue increased $7.1 million, or 30%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to approximately $3 million in revenue reductions during the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the impact of fee reductions that we provided to our international paying dealers during such quarter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in international revenue was also due in part to a 21% growth in our QARSD for international dealers to $1,524 at September 30, 2021 from $1,256 at September 30, 2020. The increase in QARSD was due primarily to expansion across our dealer base. The expansion was driven by rate increases and product upgrades for existing dealers and signing on new dealers with higher average monthly recurring revenue.

Cost of Revenue

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Cost of revenue

 

$

134,408

 

 

$

31,252

 

 

$

103,156

 

 

 

330

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

22

%

 

 

8

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenue increased $103.2 million, or 330%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to $100.4 million in cost of revenue attributable to our wholesale offerings from CarOffer. The increase was also due in part to a $4.4 million increase in expense related to provisioning advertising campaigns on our websites, offset in part by a $1.1 million decrease in salaries and employee-related expense, driven by a 35% decrease in the average CarGurus headcount.

Operating Expenses

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Sales and marketing

 

$

200,935

 

 

$

189,796

 

 

$

11,139

 

 

 

6

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

33

%

 

 

47

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing expenses increased $11.1 million, or 6%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to a $6.8$11.9 million increase in other revenue primarily due to revenue from partnerships with financing services companies.salaries and employee-related expense. The increase in advertisingsalaries and other revenueemployee-related expense was primarily driven by an increase in commissions expense, resulting from a 20% increase in headcount due to our acquisition of CarOffer, marketplace sales growth and a decrease of capitalizable costs to obtain contracts and an increase of non-capitalizable costs to obtain contracts. The increase in sales and marketing expenses was also due in part to a $1.5 million increase in software subscription expense. These increases in sales and marketing expenses were offset in part by a $4.0$2.4 million decrease in advertising revenue as some advertisers cancelled or reduced their advertising with us (including,and marketing expenses due to a gain in some cases, with our permission prior to the endefficiency of the applicable contract term)algorithmic traffic acquisition and a deliberate reduction in spend as a result of macroeconomic conditions such as strong consumer demand for cars, and automotive inventory supply issues due to the impactglobal semiconductor chip shortage. The decrease in advertising and marketing expenses is net of an increase in marketing expense relative to marketing expense in the COVID-19 pandemic.nine months ended September 30, 2020, which was impacted by the Expense Reduction Plan. The increase for the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 is inclusive of advertisinga $9.8 million increase in sales and other revenuemarketing expenses associated with Autolist of $3.4 million.CarOffer.

Revenue by Segment37


 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

376,164

 

 

$

407,050

 

 

$

(30,886

)

 

 

(8

)%

International

 

 

23,734

 

 

 

23,713

 

 

 

21

 

 

0

 

Total

 

$

399,898

 

 

$

430,763

 

 

$

(30,865

)

 

 

(7

)%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

94

%

 

 

94

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International

 

 

6

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States revenue decreased $30.9 million, or 8%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019, due primarily to a 10% decrease in United States paying dealers as paying dealers cancelled their subscriptions with us (including, in certain cases, with our permission prior to the end of the applicable contract term and notice period) as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to the fee reductions provided to customers in April, May and June in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in reductions in the overall transaction price that were spread over the remaining contract term.

International revenue stayed relatively consistent in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

Cost of Revenue  

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Cost of revenue

 

$

31,252

 

 

$

25,740

 

 

$

5,512

 

 

 

21

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

8

%

 

 

6

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product, Technology, and Development Expenses

Cost of revenue

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Product, technology, and development

 

$

79,333

 

 

$

65,729

 

 

$

13,604

 

 

 

21

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

13

%

 

 

16

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product, technology, and development expenses increased $5.5$13.6 million, or 21%, in the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019.2020. The increase was due primarily to a $2.2$9.1 million increase in fees related to provisioning advertising campaigns on our websites, a $1.6 million increase in amortization due to the write-off of international websites in connection with the Expense Reduction Plan and amortization of website development costs, a $1.5 million increase in data center and hosting costs and a $1.2 million increase in costs primarily related to a reduction of vendor rebates. These increases were offset in part by a $1.0 million decrease in salaries and employee-related costsexpense, exclusive of stock-based compensation expense, which increased $1.8 million. The increase in salaries and employee-related expense was due primarily to a 47% decrease39% increase in headcount primarilyand an increase in connection with the Expense Reduction Plan.


Operating Expenses

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Sales and marketing

 

$

189,796

 

 

$

293,238

 

 

$

(103,442

)

 

 

(35

)%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

48

%

 

 

67

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing expenses decreased $103.4 million, or 35%,expected bonus attainment in comparison to the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compareddue to improved performance since the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The decrease was due primarily to a $101.1 million decrease in advertising costs, a $1.6 million decrease in travel related expenses, a $1.5 million decrease in consulting and recruiting expenses, a $1.2 million decrease in marketing costs related to events and research expenses, and a decrease in other sales and marketing expense as a resultoutset of cost-savings efforts we implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These decreases were offset in part by an increase of $0.9 million in salaries and employee-related costs, exclusive of employee severance and related benefits expense and stock-based compensation expense, which increased $1.5 million and $0.8 million, respectively. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs and stock-based compensation expense was due to anthe increase in promotions.headcount and revaluation of certain liability-based stock awards. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs was also due to merit increases. The increase in employee severance and related benefits expense was related to the Expense Reduction Plan.p

Product, Technology, and Development Expenses

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Product, technology, and development

 

$

65,729

 

 

$

51,063

 

 

$

14,666

 

 

 

29

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

16

%

 

 

12

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product,roduct, technology, and development expenses increased $14.7 million, or 29%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019.The increase was due primarily to a $10.4 million increase in salaries and employee-related costs, exclusive of stock-based compensation expense, which increased $4.7 million. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs and stock-based compensation expense was due primarily to a 9% increase in headcount to support our growth plans and product innovations as well as an increase in promotions. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs was also due to merit increases. The increase in product, technology, and development expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was also due in part to a $1.7$1.8 million increase in consulting expense and a $0.8 million increase in rent costs due to additional office space at 55 Cambridge Parkway, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These increases were offset in partexpense driven by a $0.8 million decrease in consulting and recruiting expenses and a decrease in other product, technology, and development expenses as a result of cost-savings efforts we implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.higher expense allocations resulting from increased headcount. The increase for the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 is inclusive of a $3.0 million increase in product, technology, and development expenses associated with the integration and development of Autolist technology of $4.1 million.CarOffer.

General and Administrative Expenses

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

General and administrative

 

$

44,297

 

 

$

36,622

 

 

$

7,675

 

 

 

21

%

 

$

67,095

 

$

44,297

 

$

22,798

 

51

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

11

%

 

 

9

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

%

 

 

11

%

 

 

 

 

 

 


General and administrative expenses increased $7.7$22.8 million, or 21%51%, in the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019. 2020.The increase was due primarily to a $2.4$3.3 million increase in salaries and employee-related costs,expense, exclusive of stock-based compensation expense, which increased $3.7 million.$15.9 million. The increase in salaries and employee-related costsexpense was due primarily to a 31% increase in headcount, due primarily to our acquisition of CarOffer, and an increase in expected bonus attainment in comparison to the nine months ended September 30, 2020 due to improved performance since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in stock-based compensation expense was due primarily to annual retention grants and the transferrevaluation of certain personnel between departments and an increase in promotions. The increase in salaries and employee-related costs was also due to merit increases. liability-based stock awards. The increase in general and administrative expenses was also due in part to a $1.0$1.3 million increase in bad debtconsulting expense, a $1.2 million increase in insurance expense, and a $1.0 million increase in expense related to payment processing and billing due to increased customer transactions as a result of increasing our allowance for doubtful accounts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and $0.7 million increase in taxes. increased revenue. The increase for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was offset2021 is inclusive of a $11.3 million increase in part by a decrease in various general and administrative expenses as a result of cost-savings efforts we implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.associated with CarOffer.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

4,529

 

 

$

3,413

 

 

$

1,116

 

 

 

33

%

 

$

25,916

 

$

4,529

 

$

21,387

 

472

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

1

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $1.1$21.4 million, or 33%472%, in the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019,2020, due primarily to an increase in amortization of intangible assets related to the acquired intangible assets from Autolist and an increase in depreciation related to the leasehold improvements associated with additional office space leased at 55 Cambridge Parkway in Cambridge, Massachusetts.CarOffer.

38


Other Income, Net

 

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

Other income, net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

$

1,053

 

 

$

2,247

 

 

$

(1,194

)

 

(53)%

Other income, net

 

 

354

 

 

 

1,258

 

 

 

(904

)

 

(72)

Total other income, net

 

$

1,407

 

 

$

3,505

 

 

$

(2,098

)

 

(60)%

Percentage of total revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

0

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income, net

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total other income, net

 

 

0

%

 

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Other income, net

 

$

426

 

 

$

1,407

 

 

$

(981

)

 

 

(70

)%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

0

%

 

 

0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total other income, net decreased $2.1$1.0 million, or 60%70%, in the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The $1.22020, due primarily to a $1.0 million decrease in interest income was due primarily to loweras a result of a decline in interest rates associated with our investments in certificates of deposit during the nine months ended September 30, 2020 as all investments matured during the quarter. The $0.9 million decrease in other income, net was primarily due to a $0.8 million decrease in unrealized gain. In the nine months ended September 30, 2019, we had an unrealized gain associated with an intercompany receivable related to the acquisition of PistonHeads.2021.

Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

$

13,312

 

 

$

(4,783

)

 

$

18,095

 

 

NM

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Provision for income taxes

 

$

28,556

 

$

13,312

 

$

15,244

 

115

%

Percentage of total revenue

 

 

3

%

 

 

(1

)%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

%

 

 

3

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

NM — Not Meaningful


The provision for income taxes recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 20202021, as compared to the benefit fromprovision for income taxes recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 20192020 was principally due to increased profitability year-over-year.in excess of tax attributes available to offset. Additionally, there was a $0.3$1.0 million tax benefitexpense related to excess stock-based compensation deductions recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2020,2021, compared to $9.6$0.3 million tax benefit recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2019, partially offset by2020. Furthermore, a $0.5 million tax expense was recorded during the benefit recognized as a resultnine months ended September 30, 2021 in connection with the Section 162(m) excess officer compensation limitation, which became applicable in May 2021 upon the expiration of the CARES Act.transition period permitted following our IPO.

Income (Loss) from Operations by Segment

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Amount

 

 

%

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

United States

 

$

82,061

 

 

$

51,456

 

 

$

30,605

 

 

 

59

%

 

$

111,515

 

$

82,061

 

$

29,454

 

36

%

International

 

 

(17,766

)

 

 

(30,769

)

 

 

13,003

 

 

 

42

 

 

 

(7,171

)

 

 

(17,766

)

 

 

10,595

 

 

60

 

Total

 

$

64,295

 

 

$

20,687

 

 

$

43,608

 

 

 

211

%

 

$

104,344

 

$

64,295

 

$

40,049

 

 

62

%

Percentage of segment revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

 

22

%

 

 

13

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19

%

 

22

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

International

 

(75)%

 

 

(130)%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(23

)%

 

 

(75

)%

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States income from operations increased $30.6$29.5 million, or 59%36%, in the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019.2020. This increase was due to decreases in operating expenses of $66.7 million related to cost savings efforts in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, offset by decreasesincreases in revenue of $30.9$205.0 million, andoffset in part by increases in cost of revenue of $5.2$105.0 million and increases in operating expenses of $70.5 million.

International loss from operations decreased $13.0$10.6 million, or 42%60%, in the nine months ended September 30, 20202021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019. 2020. The decrease was due to increases in revenue of $7.1 million, decreases in cost of revenue of $1.9 million and decreases in operating expenses of $13.3 million due to ceasing of operations in certain markets and cost savings efforts in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, offset in part by an increase in cost of revenue of $0.3$1.6 million.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments

At September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, our principal sources of liquidity were cash and cash equivalents of $245.9$231.1 million and $59.9$190.3 million, respectively, and investments in certificates of deposit with terms of greater than 90 days but less than one year of $111.7$90.0 million at December 31, 2019. There were no investments in certificates of deposit at September 30, 2020.and $100.0 million, respectively.

39


Sources and Uses of Cash

Our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities, as reflected in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, are summarized in the following table:

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

$

108,806

 

 

$

49,551

 

 

$

135,063

 

$

108,806

 

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

 

84,859

 

 

 

(43,986

)

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

 

(63,353

)

 

84,859

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(7,741

)

 

 

(11,348

)

 

(25,056

)

 

(7,741

)

Impact of foreign currency on cash

 

 

171

 

 

 

(97

)

 

 

(359

)

 

 

171

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

$

186,095

 

 

$

(5,880

)

Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

$

46,295

 

$

186,095

 

Our operations have been financed primarily from operating activities and our initial public offering.activities. We generated cash from operating activities of $135.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021, and $108.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, and $49.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019.2020.


We believe that our existing sources of liquidity will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of the filing of this Quarterly Report. During the second quarter of 2020 in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented the Expense Reduction Plan, pursuant to which we reduced our workforce, ceased operation of certain international marketplaces, halted expansion efforts in any new international markets, and implemented targeted reductions in sales and marketing expenses, including across both algorithmic traffic acquisition and brand spend, and discretionary operating expenses. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the further impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,, our revenue, costsexpenses associated with our sales and marketing activities and the support of our product, technology, and development efforts, our investments in international markets, and the timing and extent of our cost savings related to the Expense Reduction Plan. and the potential exercise of call rights in the second of half of 2022 related to acquiring additional equity interests in CarOffer. Cash from operations could also be affected by various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other risks detailed in the “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report.

To the extent that existing cash, cash equivalents, and investments and cash from operations are insufficient to fund our future activities, we may need to raise additional funds through a public or private equity or debt financing. Additional funds may not be available on terms favorable to us, or at all, including all.

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities of $135.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was due primarily to increased volatility in the capital marketsconsolidated net income of $76.2 million, adjusted for $42.5 million of stock-based compensation expense for equity classified awards, $29.5 million of depreciation and amortization, $9.6 million of amortization of deferred contract costs, $5.8 million of deferred taxes, $2.4 million of impairment of website development costs, and $0.7 million of provision for doubtful accounts. Cash provided by operating activities was also attributable to the COVID-19 pandemica $24.5 million increase in accounts payable, a $4.8 million increase in accrued expenses, accrued income taxes, and other liabilities, a $3.4 million increase in deferred revenue, and a $0.8 million increase in lease obligations. The increases in cash flow from operations were partially offset by a $51.6 million increase in accounts receivable, a $6.5 million increase in deferred contract costs, a $4.1 million increase in inventory, and a $3.0 million increase in prepaid expenses, prepaid income taxes, and other assets..

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities of $108.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was due primarily to net income of $52.4 million, adjusted for $34.4 million of stock-based compensation expense for equity classified awards, $14.8 million of deferred taxes, $8.8 million of depreciation and amortization, $8.6 million of amortization of deferred contract costs, and $1.7 million of provision for doubtful accounts. Cash provided by operating activities was also attributable to a $7.1 decrease in prepaid expenses, prepaid income taxes, and other assets, $6.0 million decrease in accounts receivable, and a $2.2$1.7 million increase in accrued expenses, accrued income taxes, and other non-current liabilities. The increases in cash flow from operations were partially offset by a $19.7 million decrease in accounts payable, and a $6.9 million increase in deferred contract costs, and a $0.5 million decreasecosts.

Investing Activities

Cash used in accrued expenses, accrued income taxes, and other current liabilities.

Cash provided by operatinginvesting activities of $49.6$63.4 million during the nine months ended September 30, 20192021 was due primarily to net income of $29.0 million, adjusted for $25.4$64.3 million of stock-based compensation expense, $5.8cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, $4.9 million of amortizationpurchases of deferred contractproperty and equipment and $4.1 million related to the capitalization of website development costs, and $5.7offset in part by $100.0 million of depreciation and amortization, partially offset by $5.0 millionmaturities of deferred taxes. Cash provided by operating activities was also attributable to a $10.7 million increasecertificates of deposit, net of investments in accounts payable, partially offset by an $11.4 million increase in deferred contract costs, a $5.0 million increase in accounts receivable, a $2.0 million decrease in accrued expenses, accrued income taxes, and other current liabilities, a $1.9 million decrease in lease obligations, and a $1.0 million decrease in deferred revenue.certificates of deposit of $90.0 million.

Investing Activities

Cash provided by investing activities of $84.9 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was due to maturities of certificates of deposit of $111.7 million, offset in part by $21.1 million of cash paid for an acquisition, net of cash acquired, $3.0 million related to the capitalization of website development costs, and $2.7 million of purchases of property and equipment.

40


Financing Activities

Cash used in investingfinancing activities of $44.0$25.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 20192021 was due primarily to $134.8CarOffer’s repayment of a line of credit of $14.3 million and our payment of investments in certificateswithholding taxes on net share settlements of deposit, netrestricted stock units of maturities of certificates of deposit of $122.8$11.3 million, $19.1 million of cash paid for acquisition, $10.8 million of purchases of property and equipment and $2.1partially offset by $0.5 million related to the capitalizationproceeds from the issuance of website development costs.common stock related to the exercise of vested stock options.

Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities of $7.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was due primarily to the payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of restricted stock units of $8.7 million, partially offset by $1.0 million related to the proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to the exercise of vested stock options.

Cash used in financing activities of $11.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 was due primarily to the payment of withholding taxes and option costs on net share settlements of restricted stock units and stock options of $12.8 million, partially offset by $1.5 million related to the proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to the exercise of vested stock options.


Contractual Obligations and Known Future Cash Requirements

As of September 30, 2020,2021, there were no material changes in our contractual obligations and commitments from those disclosed in our Annual Report, other than those appearing in the notes to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, other thanor leases that are less than twelve months in duration, other than leases signed but not commenced, that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resourcesresources..

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates

The preparation of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period.

Significant estimates relied upon in preparing the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statementsinclude revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts and sales allowances, variable consideration, the recoverability of long-lived assets, the valuation and recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, the expensing and capitalization of product, technology, and development costs for website development and internal-use software, and the recoverability of our net deferred tax assets and related valuation allowance. Accordingly, we consider these to be our critical accounting policies.

Although we regularly assess these estimates, actual results could differ materially from these estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from our estimates if these results differ from historical experience, or other assumptions do not turn out to be substantially accurate, even if such assumptions are reasonable when made. Changes in estimates are recorded in the period in which they become known.

Significant estimates relied upon in preparing the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the determination of sales allowance and variable consideration in our revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, the valuation of redeemable noncontrolling interest, valuation of equity and liability-classified compensation awards under ASC 718, the expensing and capitalization of product, technology, and development costs for website development and internal-use software, the valuation and recoverability of goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets, and the recoverability of our net deferred tax assets and related valuation allowance. Accordingly, we consider these to be our critical accounting policies.

For a detailed explanation of the judgments made in these areas, refer to Note 2 to our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Information concerning recently issued accounting pronouncements may be found in Note 2 to our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

41


Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Market risk represents the risk of loss that may affect our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. We are exposed to market risks as described below.

Interest Rate Risk

We did not have any long-term borrowings at September 30, 20202021 or at December 31, 2019.2020.

We had cash and cash equivalents of $245.9 million at September 30, 2020, which consisted of bank deposits and money market funds. We had cash, cash equivalents, and investments of $171.6$321.1 million and $290.3 million at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2019,2020, respectively, which consisted of bank deposits, money market funds and certificates of deposit with maturity dates ranging from six to nine months.

Such interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Given recent changes in the interest rate environment and in an effort to ensure liquidity, we expect lower returns from our investments for the foreseeable future. To date, fluctuations in interest income have not been material to the operations of the business.

We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes and have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest rate risk exposure.


Inflation Risk

We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations to date. However, if our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

Historically, because our operations and sales have been primarily in the United States, we have not faced any significant foreign currency risk. As of September 30, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, we had foreign currency exposures in the British pound, the Euro and the Canadian dollar, although such exposure is not significant.

Our foreign subsidiaries have intercompany accounts that are eliminated upon consolidation, and these accounts expose us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Exchange rate fluctuations on short-term intercompany accounts are recorded in our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements under the heading, other income, net. Long-termExchange rate fluctuations on long-term intercompany accounts are recorded at their historical rates.in our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets under the heading accumulated other comprehensive income.

As we seek to grow our international operations in Canada and the United Kingdom, our risks associated with fluctuation in currency rates may become greater, and we will continue to reassess our approach to managing these risks.

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Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act), as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. Based on such evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the period covered by this Quarterly Report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

From time to time we may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently subject to any pending or threatened litigation that we believe, if determined adversely to us, would individually, or taken together, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business or financial results.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Quarterly Report, including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes, before evaluating our business. Our business, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, and prospects could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties. In that event, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline. See “Special Note Regarding Forward‑Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our business financial condition and results of operations havehas been, and we expect themit to continue to be, adversely affected by the ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19 outbreak.pandemic.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, now referred to asThe COVID-19 surfaced in Wuhan, China. The virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and has spread globally. This pandemic has caused an international health crisis and resulted in significant disruptions to the global economy as well as businesses and capital markets around the world.

Our operations have been materially adversely affected by a range of factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, we temporarily closed all of our offices (including our corporate headquarters) and began requiring our employees to work remotely (subject to limited exceptions) until further notice, which has disrupted and may continue to disrupt how we operate our business. In addition, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, many countries, as well as states and localities in the United States, implemented or mandated, and some continue to implement or mandate, significant restrictions on travel and commerce, shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders, and business closures. Fluctuation in infection rates in the regions in which we operate has resulted in periodic changes in restrictions that vary from region to region and may require rapid response to new or reinstated orders. Many of these orders resulted in, and may continue to result in, restrictions on the ability of consumers to buy and sell automobiles by restricting operations at dealerships and/or by closing or reducing the services provided by the agencies that process the registration of automotive titles. While certain jurisdictions, including many within the United States, have implemented or are implementing policies with the goal of re-opening these markets, restrictions may be re-imposed in these markets due to increases in COVID-19 cases.service providers upon which dealerships rely. In addition, these restrictions and concernscontinued concern about the spread of the disease have impacted car shopping by consumers and disrupted the operations of car dealerships, which has adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect the market for automobile purchases.

While consumer demand has improved since the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, theThe automotive industry is also facing, inventory supply problems, especially for used vehicles. The industry has experienced, and may continue to experience, a decline in used-carface, inventory supply problems, including for a number of reasons attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic including: (i) fewer trade-ins from diminishedand other macroeconomic issues, such as the global semiconductor chip shortage. This decline in vehicle sales; (ii) lease extensions on vehicles that consumers would have otherwise returned to the dealership; and (iii) the closure of or restrictions on the operations of wholesale auctions limiting dealers’ ability to source stock and/or replenish inventory. Further, these auction closures and the limited supply of inventory has led to an increase in bids per vehicle at auction and corresponding increases to wholesale auction prices. As the price of restockingreplenishing inventory through wholesale auctions increases,has increased, dealers have increased, and may continue to increase, the prices they charge consumers. A high volume of price increases on vehicle sales at a rapid rate could impact our proprietary Instant Market Values, or IMV, and distribution of Deal Ratings. In addition, if our paying dealers continue to operate at reduced inventory levels or with increased costs, they may reduce or be unwilling to increase their advertising spend with us and/or may terminate their subscriptions at the conclusion of the committed term. It may also impede ourterm. Our ability to add new paying dealers or increase our fees with dealers may be impeded if dealers perceive they have less of a need for our products and services because of their limited inventory. Inventory challenges in the automotive industry have adversely impacted, and could continue to adversely impact, the amount of inventory on our websites and have contributed to higher prices and reduced lease options for new vehicles, which in turn has reduced, and may continue to reduce, consumer demand, which could contribute to a decline in the number of consumer visits to our sitewebsites and/or the number of connections between consumers and dealers through our marketplaces. These inventory-related issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and other macroeconomic issues may materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As a result of the travel and commerce restrictions and the impact on their businesses, a number of our dealer customers temporarily closed or are operating on a reduced capacity, and many dealerships are facing significant financial challenges. Such closures and circumstances led some paying dealers to cancel their subscriptions and/or reduce their spending with us, which has had and may continue to have a material adverse effect on our revenues and on our business, financial condition and results of operations.business. Additionally, in response to the increasing cancelations and the drop in consumer demand at the beginning of the COVID-19


pandemic, we reduced our spending on brand advertising and traffic acquisition, which resulted incontributed to fewer consumers using our platform during the second quarter ofyear ended December 31, 2020 and have since restored only a portion of that historical consumer spend,for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2021 compared to the same periods for the prior year, which in turn has, and may continue to, materially and adversely affect our business. While we have since restored a portion of that historical consumer spend, we may not

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in the future fully restore prior spending levels if we elect to redirect our investments elsewhere, including in favor of new product development. If such a strategy were not to result in the benefits that we expect, our business financial condition and results of operations.could be harmed. Our business relies on the ability of consumers to borrow funds to acquire automobiles and banks and other financing companies may limit or restrict lending to consumers as a result of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may also materially and adversely affect our business.

Further, because of the significant financial challenges that dealerships have faced and continue to face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we took measures to help our paying dealers maintain their business health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wepandemic, including by proactively reducedreducing the subscription fees for paying dealers by at least 50% on all marketplace subscriptions for the April and May 2020certain service periods, as well as provided a fee reduction on all June 2020 marketplace subscriptions of 20% for paying dealers in the United States and Canada and 50% for paying dealers in the United Kingdom.periods. As a result, the level of fees we received from paying dealers materially decreased during this period,the year ended December 31, 2020, resulting in a material decline in our revenue and a material adverse effect to our business, financial condition and results of operations.business. In addition, despite our proactive fee reductions during the second quarter of 2020, we experienced increased customer cancellation rates and slowed paying dealer additions, during such period, which materially and adversely affected our business financial condition and results of operations. While we returned to normal contractual billings in all markets for the July 2020 service period, we have continued to, andyear ended December 31, 2020. We may again in the future experience increased cancellations and/or slowed paying dealer additions and as a result may decide to re-institute further billings relief in the future as we continue to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our paying dealers and business operations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also experienced, and may continue to experience, increased account delinquencies from dealer customers challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic that failed to pay us on time or at all.

These effects from the COVID-19 pandemic on our revenue caused us to implement certain cost-savings measures across our business, which have disrupted and may continue to disrupt, our business and operations.operations during the year ended December 31, 2020. For example, during the second quarter of 2020, we initiated a cost-savings initiative that included a reduction in our workforce, of approximately 13%, restricted future hiring, and limiteda limitation in discretionary spend across our business including by eliminating, reducing or pausing certain vendor relationships and our ceasing of certain international operations and expansion efforts. We also reduced consumer marketing across both algorithmic traffic acquisition and brand spend during the second and third quarters ofyear ended December 31, 2020 in comparison to the second and third quarters of 2019prior year in an effort to reduce expenses and as a result of suppressed dealer inventory and resulting reduced demand for leads from dealers. Despite these measures, we may not achieve the costs savings or attract consumer visits at the levels we expect, which would adversely impact our cash flows and financial condition. These expense reduction activities, and any future cost savings actions that we may take, may yield unintended consequences, and costs, such as loss of key employees, undesired attrition,, and the risk that we may not achieve the anticipated cost savings at the levels we expect, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and/or financial condition. If our cash flows fail to stabilize as a result of the effects from the COVID-19 pandemic ormaterially impacts our revenues fail to increase,in the future, we may also decide that additional disruptive measures are necessary to reduce our operating expenses.

The global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has also had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on our international businesses. TheDue to the crisis, has halted our growth in existing markets and our expansion into additional markets. In particular, we ceased marketplace operations in Germany, Italy, and Spain, and halted any new international expansion efforts, which we believe will allow us to focus our financial and human capital resources on our more established international markets in Canada and the United Kingdom. Failure by us to succeed in these two markets, however, would materially and adversely affect our business and potential growth.

We continue to monitor and assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our commercial operations, including the impact on our revenue in 2020.revenue. However, we cannot at this time accurately predict what effects these conditions will ultimately have on our operations due to uncertainties relating to the duration of the pandemic, the extent and effectiveness of governmental responses and other preventative, treatment and containment actions or developments, including the distribution and acceptance of vaccines, shifts in behavior going forward, and the length or severity of the travel and commerce restrictions imposed on federal and state levels, as well as by the governments of impacted countries.relevant governmental authorities. Nor can we predict the adverse impact on the global economies and financial markets in which we operate, which may have a significant negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is substantially dependent on our relationships with dealers. If a significant number of dealers terminate their subscription agreements with us, our business and financial results would be materially and adversely affected.

Our primary source of revenue consists of subscription fees paid to us by dealers for access to enhanced features on our automotive marketplaces. Our subscription agreements with dealers generally may be terminated by us with 30 days’ notice and by dealers with 30 days’ notice at the end of the committed term. The majority of our contracts with dealers currently provide for one-month committed terms and do not contain contractual obligations requiring a dealer to maintain its relationship with us beyond the committed term. Accordingly, these dealers may cancel their subscriptions with us in accordance with the terms of their subscription agreements. A dealer’s decision to cancel its subscription with us may be influenced by several factors, including national and regional dealership associations, national and local regulators, automotive manufacturers, consumer groups, and consolidated dealer groups. If any of these influential groups indicate that dealers should not enter into or maintain subscription agreements with us, this


belief could become shared by dealers and we may lose a number of our paying dealers. If a significant number of our paying dealers terminate their subscriptions with us, our business and financial results would be materially and adversely affected.

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If we fail to maintain or increase the number of dealers that pay subscription fees to us, or fail to maintain or increase the fees paid to us for subscriptions, our business and financial results would be materially and adversely affected.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many paying dealers cancelled their subscriptions with us (including, in some cases, with our permission prior to the end of the applicable contract term and notice period), which has caused a material adverse impact on our revenues during the year ended December 31, 2020, and it is possible that additional dealers will cancel their subscriptions in the future for a variety of reasons, including as they continue to experiencea result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. If paying dealers do not receive the volume of consumer connections that they expect during their subscription period, do not experience the level of car sales they expect from those connections, or fail to attribute consumer connections or sales to our platform, they may terminate their subscriptions at the conclusion of the committed term. If we fail to maintain or expand our base of paying dealers or fail to maintain or increase the level of fees that we receive from them, our business and financial results would be materially and adversely affected.

We allow dealers to list their inventory in CarGurus marketplaces for free; however, we impose certain limitations on such free listings, such as capping the number of leads that non-paying dealers in the U.S. may receive, within a 30-day period, not displaying non-paying dealer identity and contact information, and prohibiting access to the paid features of our marketplaces. We continue to adapt our free listings product, Restricted Listings, in our CarGurus marketplaces and in the future, we may decide to impose additional restrictions on Restricted Listings or modify the services available to non-paying dealers. These changes to our Restricted Listings product may result in less inventory being displayed to consumers, which may impair our efforts to retainattract consumers, and cause paying and non-paying dealers to receive fewer leads and connections, which may make it more difficult for us to convert suchnon-paying dealers to paying dealers or maintain or expand our base of paying dealers. If dealers do not subscribe to our paid offerings at the rates we expect, our business and financial results would be materially and adversely affected.

If dealers or other advertisers reduce their advertising spending with us and we are unable to attract new advertisers,replace the reduced advertising spending, our advertising revenue and business would be harmed.

A significant amount of our revenue is derived from advertising revenues generated primarily through advertising sales, including display advertising and audience targeting services, to dealers, auto manufacturers, and other auto-related brand advertisers. We compete for this advertising revenue with other online automotive marketplaces and with television, print media, and other traditional advertising channels. Our ability to attract and retain advertisers and to generate advertising revenue depends on a number of factors, including: including our ability toto: increase the number of consumers using our marketplaces; our ability to compete effectively for advertising spending with other online automotive marketplaces; our ability to continue to develop our advertising products; our ability to keep pace with changes in technology and the practices and offerings of our competitors; and our ability to offer an attractive ROI to our advertisers for their advertising spend with us.

Our agreements with dealers for display advertising generally include terms ranging from one month to one year and may be terminated by us with 30 days’ notice and by dealers with 30 days’ notice at the end of the committed term. The contracts do not contain contractual obligations requiring an advertiser to maintain its relationship with us beyond the committed term. Certain of our other advertising contracts, including those with auto manufacturers, typically do not have ongoing commitments to advertise in our marketplaces beyond a committed term. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some advertisers have cancelled or reduced their advertising with us, which has caused a material adverse impact on our revenues during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the prior period, and it is possible that advertising customers will continue to cancel or reduce their advertising with us in the future for a variety of reasons, including as they continue to experiencea result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, a reduction in consumer visits to our sites duringas a result of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the delivery of fewer impressions for our advertising customers than anticipated during the year ended December 31, 2020 and the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the same periods for the prior year, which has caused, and may continue to cause, an adverse impact on our advertising revenues. We may not succeed in capturing a greater share of our advertisers’ spending if we are unable to convince advertisers of the effectiveness or superiority of our advertising servicesofferings as compared to alternative channels. If current advertisers reduce or end their advertising spending with us and we are unable to attract new advertisers,replace such reduced advertising spending, our advertising revenue and business and financial results would be harmed.

If we fail to fully realize anticipated transaction synergies from our acquisition of a 51% interest in CarOffer, or if the CarOffer business fails to grow at the rate we expect, our revenue and business would be harmed.

In January 2021 we completed our acquisition of a 51% interest in CarOffer, which adds wholesale vehicle acquisition and selling capabilities to our portfolio of dealer offerings. Achievement of our anticipated transaction synergies and our ability to grow the CarOffer business depends on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to: expand the number of dealers engaging on the CarOffer platform; retain existing customers and increase the share of wholesale transactions which they complete on the CarOffer platform; attract prospective customers who have historically purchased or sold vehicles through physical auctions and may choose not to transact online; and successfully compete with competitors, including other online vehicle auction companies and large, national offline vehicle auction companies that are expanding into the online channel and have launched online auctions in connection with their physical auctions. If our anticipated transaction synergies do not fully materialize and/or the CarOffer business fails to grow at the rate we expect, our revenue and business would be harmed.

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Industry conditions such as a significant change in vehicle retail prices or a decline in the used vehicle inventory supply coming to the wholesale market could also adversely impact CarOffer’s business and growth. For example, if retail prices for used vehicles rise relative to retail prices for new vehicles, it could make buying a new vehicle more attractive to consumers than buying a used vehicle, which could result in reduced used vehicle wholesale sales on the CarOffer platform. Used vehicle dealers may also decide to retail more of their vehicles on their own rather than selling them on the CarOffer platform, which could adversely impact the volume of vehicles offered for sale on the CarOffer platform and the demand for those used vehicles. Inventory challenges in the automotive industry, including for reasons attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, could also contribute to a decrease in the supply of vehicles coming to the wholesale market and reduce the number of vehicles sold on the CarOffer platform. An inability by CarOffer to retain customers and/or increase or find alternative sources of vehicle supply would adversely impact our revenue and business.

If we are unable to provide a compelling vehicle search experience to consumers through our platform, the number of connections between consumers and dealers using our marketplaces may decline and our business and financial results would be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to continue to provide a compelling vehicle search experience to consumers, the number of connections between consumers and dealers through our marketplaces could decline, which in turn could lead dealers to suspend listing their inventory in our marketplaces, cancel their subscriptions, or reduce their spending with us. If dealers pause or cancel listing their inventory in our marketplaces, we may not be able to attract a large consumer audience, which may cause other dealers to pause or cancel their use of our marketplaces. This reduction in the number of dealers using our marketplaces would likely materially and adversely affect our marketplaces and our business and financial results. As consumers increasingly use their mobile devices to access the internet and our marketplaces, our success depends, in part, on our ability to provide consumers with a robust and user-friendly experience through their mobile devices. We believe that our ability to provide a compelling vehicle search experience, both on desktop computers and


through mobile devices, is subject to a number of factors, including: including our ability toto: maintain attractive marketplaces for consumers and dealers, including on mobile platforms; our ability todealers; continue to innovate and introduce products for our marketplaces on mobile platforms; our ability tomarketplaces; launch new products that are effective and have a high degree of consumer engagement; our ability to display a wide variety of automobile inventory to attract more consumers to our websites; our ability to provide mobile applications that engage consumers; our ability to maintain the compatibility of our mobile applications with operating systems, such as iOS and Android, and with popular mobile devices running such operating systems; and our ability to access and analyze a sufficient amount of data to enable us to provide relevant information to consumers, including pricing information and accurate vehicle details.

We rely on internet search engines to drive traffic to our websites, and if we fail to appear prominently in the search results, our traffic would decline and our business would be adversely affected.

We depend,rely, in part, on internet search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo! to drive traffic to our websites. The number of consumers we attract to our marketplaces from search engines is due in part to how and where our websites rank in unpaid search results. These rankings can be affected by a number of factors, many of which are not under our direct control and may change frequently. For example, when a consumer searches for a vehicle in an internet search engine, we rely on a high organic search ranking of our webpages to refer the consumer to our websites. Our competitors’ internet search engine optimization efforts may result in their websites receiving higher search result rankings than ours, or internet search engines could change their methodologies in a way that would adversely affect our search result rankings. If internet search engines modify their methodologies in ways that are detrimental to us, if our efforts to improve our search engine optimization are unsuccessful or ifless successful than our competitors’ internet search engine optimization efforts, are more successful than ours, our ability to attract a large consumer audience could diminish and traffic to our trafficmarketplaces could decline. In addition, internet search engine providers could provide dealer and pricing information directly in search results, align with our competitors, or choose to develop competing products. Reductions in our own search advertising spend or more aggressive spending by our competitors could also cause us to incur higher advertising costs and/or reduce our market visibility to prospective users. Our websites have experienced fluctuations in organic and paid search result rankings in the past, and we anticipate fluctuations in the future. Any reduction in the number of consumers directed to our websites through internet search engines could harm our business and operating results.

Any inability by us to develop new products, or achieve widespread consumer and dealer adoption of those products, could negatively impact our business and financial results.

Our success depends on our continued innovation to provide products that make our marketplaces, websites, and mobile applications useful for consumers and dealers or that otherwise provide value to consumers and dealers. WeFor example, as we transition to a more digitally-initiated environment, we recently launched CarGurus Instant Max Cash Offer, a new offering that allows consumers in certain states to sell their vehicles to dealers entirely online. In addition to introducing new offerings within our existing products, we anticipate that over time we may reach a point when investments in our current products are less productive and the growth of our revenue will require more focus on developing new products for consumers and dealers. These new products must be widely adopted by consumers and dealers in order for us to continue to attract consumers to our marketplaces and dealers to our products and services. Accordingly, we must continually invest resources in product, technology, and development in order to improve the attractiveness and comprehensiveness of our marketplaces and their related products and effectively incorporate new internet and mobile technologies into them. Our ability to engage in these activities may decline as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and our cost-savings initiatives on our business. These product, technology, and development expenses may include costs of hiring additional personnel,

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engaging third-party service providers and conducting other research and development activities. There can be no assurance that innovations to our products like CarGurus Instant Max Cash Offer, or the development of future products, will increase consumer or dealer engagement, achieve market acceptance, create additional revenue or become profitable. In addition, revenue relating to new products is typically unpredictable and our new products may have lower gross margins, lower retention rates, and higher marketing and sales costs than our existing products. We are likely to continue to modify our pricing models for both existing and new products so that our prices for our offerings reflect the value those offerings are providing to consumers and dealers. Our pricing models may not effectively reflect the value of products to dealers, and, if we are unable to provide marketplaces and products that consumers and dealers want to use, they may become dissatisfiedreduce or cease the use of our marketplaces and instead use our competitors’ websites and mobile applications.products. Without innovative marketplaces and related products, we may be unable to attract additional, unique consumers or retain current consumers, which could affect the number of dealers that become paying dealers and the number of advertisers that want to advertise in our marketplaces, as well as the amounts that they are willing to pay for our products, which could, in turn, negatively impact our business and financial results.

We may be unable to maintain or grow relationships with data providers, or may experience interruptions in the data they provide, which may create a less valuable or transparent shopping experience and negatively affect our business and operating results.

We obtain data from many third-party data providers, including inventory management systems, automotive website providers, customer relationship management systems, dealer management systems, governmental entities, and third-party data licensors. Our business relies on our ability to obtain data for the benefit of consumers and dealers using our marketplaces. For example, our success in each market is dependent in part upon our ability to obtain and maintain inventory data and other vehicle information for those markets. The large amount of inventory and vehicle information available in our marketplaces is critical to the value we provide for consumers. The loss or interruption of such inventory data or other vehicle information could decrease the number of consumers using our marketplaces. We could experience interruptions in our data access for a number of reasons, including difficulties in renewing our agreements with data providers, changes to the software used by data providers, efforts by industry participants to restrict access to data, increased fees we may be charged by data providers and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our marketplaces could be negatively affected if any current provider terminates its relationship with us or our service from any provider is interrupted. If there is a material


disruption in the data provided to us, the information that we provide to consumers and dealers using our marketplaces may be limited. In addition, the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of this information may suffer, which may lead to a less valuable and less transparent shopping experience for consumers using our marketplaces and could negatively affect our business and operating results.

The failure to build, maintain and protect our brands would harm our ability to attract a large consumer audience and to expand the use of our marketplaces by consumers and dealers.

While we are focused on building our brand recognition, maintaining and enhancing our brands will depend largely on the success of our efforts to maintain the trust of consumers and dealers and to deliver value to each consumer and dealer using our marketplaces. Our ability to protect our brands is also impacted by the success of our efforts to optimize our significant brand spend and overcome the intense competition in brand marketing across our industry, including competitors that may imitate our messaging. In addition, as a result of suppressed dealer inventory and resulting reduced demand for leads by dealers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we reduced our brand spend andduring the year ended December 31, 2020 in comparison to the year ended December 31, 2019. While we have since increased our consumer marketing expenses, we may decide to continue to suppress our brand spend in the future depending on the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.pandemic or other macro-economic effects. If consumers believe that we are not focused on providing them with a better automobile shopping experience, or if we fail to overcome brand marketing competition and maintain a differentiated value proposition in consumers’ minds, our reputation and the strength of our brands may be adversely affected.

Complaints or negative publicity about our business practices and culture, our management team and employees, our marketing and advertising campaigns, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, the integrity of the data that we provide to consumers, data privacy and security issues, and other aspects of our business, irrespective of their validity, could diminish consumers’ and dealers’ confidence and participation in our marketplaces and could adversely affect our brands. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain or enhance our brands, and failure to do so would harm our business growth prospects and operating results.

Portions of our platform enable consumers and dealers using our marketplaces to communicate with one another and other persons seeking information or advice on the internet. Claims of defamation or other injury could be made against us for content posted on our websites. In addition, negative publicity and user sentiment generated as a result of fraudulent or deceptive conduct by users of our marketplaces could damage our reputation, reduce our ability to attract new users or retain our current users, and diminish the value of our brands.

Our past growth is not indicative of our future growth, and our ability to grow our revenue in the future is uncertain due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our revenue increaseddecreased to $551.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $588.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, from $454.1representing a 6% decrease between such periods – which we primarily attribute to the approximately $50 million impact of fee reductions that we provided to our paying dealers during the second quarter of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – and increased to $612.0 million for the yearnine months ended December 31, 2018, representing a 30% increase between such periods, and decreased toSeptember 30, 2021 from $399.9 million for the nine months ended September

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30, 2020, from $430.8 millionrepresenting a 53% increase between such periods. Our revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, representing a 7% decrease between such periods, primarily dueremainder of 2021 and beyond may continue to COVID-19-related effects. We expect further year-over-year revenue declines in 2020 as a result ofbe impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic also makes our future revenue beyond 2020 uncertain.pandemic. In addition, we will not be able to grow as expected, or at all, if we fail to: increase the number of consumers using our marketplaces; maintain and expand the number of dealers that subscribe to our marketplaces and maintain and increase the fees that they are paying; attract and retain advertisers placing advertisements in our marketplaces; further improve the quality of our marketplaces and introduce high quality new products; and increase the number of connections between consumers and dealers using our marketplaces and connections to paying dealers, in particular. If our revenue declines further or fails to grow, investors’ perceptions of our business may be adversely affected, and the market price of our Class A common stock could decline.

We may require additional capital to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges, or unforeseen circumstances. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows or if capital is not available to us, our business, operating results, financial condition, and prospects could be adversely affected.

If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows, we would require additional capital to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges, or unforeseen circumstances, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to make marketing expenditures to improve our brand awareness, develop new products, further improve our platform and existing products, enhance our operating infrastructure, and acquire complementary businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. However, additional funds may not be available when we need them on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. Volatility in the credit markets, particularly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, may also have an adverse effect on our ability to obtain debt financing.

If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences, and privileges superior to those of holders of our Class A common stock. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to pursue our business objectives and to respond to business opportunities, challenges, or unforeseen circumstances could be significantly limited, and our business, operating results, financial condition, and prospects could be adversely affected.


If we fail to grow effectively in our existing markets, our revenue, business, and financial results will be harmed.

Our international operations involve risks that may differ from, or are in addition to, our domestic operational risks.

While we ceased operations of our marketplaces in Germany, Italy and Spain and stopped development of emerging marketplaces, we continue to operate marketplaces in the United Kingdom and Canada, which are less familiar competitive environments and involve various risks, including the need to invest significant resources and the likelihood that returns on such investments will not be achieved for several years, or possibly at all. We expect as we have in the past,to continue to incur significant losses in the United Kingdom and Canada, and face various other challenges such as obtaining and maintaining access to data, competition for consumers and dealers using our products, new and different competitors, monetizing dealers and other customers, other regulatory environments and laws, and different consumer behavior than we are familiar with. Our operation of several marketplaces requires significant resources and management attention. Furthermore, operations in international markets may not yield results similar to those we have achievedjurisdictions.

For example, in the United States.

Our international operations involve risks that are different from, or in addition to, the risks we may experience as a result of our domestic operations.

In the United Kingdom and Canada, we were not the first market entrant, and our competitors may be more established or otherwise better positioned than we are to succeed. Our competitors may offer services to dealers that make dealers dependent on them, such as hosting dealers’ websites and providing inventory feeds for dealers, which would make it difficult to attract dealers to our marketplaces. Dealers may also be parties to agreements with other dealers and syndicates that prevent them from being able to access our marketplaces. Any of these barriers could impede our operations in our international markets, which could affect our business and potential growth.

In addition to English, we have made portions of our marketplaces available in French and Spanish. We may have difficulty in modifying our technology and content for use in non-English-speaking market segments or gaining acceptance by users in non-English-speaking market segments. Our ability to manage our business and conduct our operations internationally requires considerable management attention and resources, and is subject to the particular challenges of supporting a business in an environment of multiple languages, cultures, customs, legal and regulatory systems, alternative dispute resolution systems, and commercial infrastructures. Operating internationally may subject us to different risks or increase our exposure in connection with current risks, including risks associated with: recruiting, managing and retaining qualified multilingual employees, including sales personnel; adapting our websites and mobile applications to conform to local consumer behavior; increased competition from local websites and mobile applications and potential preferences by local populations for local providers; compliance with applicable foreign laws and regulations, including different privacy, censorship, and liability standards and regulations, and different intellectual property laws; providing solutions in different languages and for different cultures, which may require that we modify our solutions and features so they are culturally relevant in different countries; the enforceability of our intellectual property rights; credit risk and higher levels of payment fraud; compliance with anti-bribery laws, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the United Kingdom Bribery Act; currency exchange rate fluctuations; political and economic instability in some countries; adverse changes in trade relationships among foreign countries and/or between the United States and such countries;countries, including as related to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, or the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit”; double taxation of our international earnings and potentially adverse tax consequences arising from the tax laws of the United States or the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate; and higher costs of doing business internationally.

Dealer closures or consolidations could reduce demand for our products, which may decrease our revenue.

In the past, the number of United States dealers has declined due to dealership closures and consolidations as a result of factors such as global economic downturns and we expect this has occurred and will continue to occur as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.or other macroeconomic issues. When dealers consolidate, the services they previously purchased separately are often purchased by the combined entity in a lesser quantity or for a lower aggregate price than before, leading to volume compression and loss of revenue. Further dealership consolidations or closures could reduce the aggregate demand for our products and

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services. If dealership closures and consolidations occur in the future, our business, financial position and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We depend on key personnel to operate our business, and if we are unable to retain, attract and integrate qualified personnel, or if we experience turnover of our key personnel, our ability to develop and successfully grow our business could be materially and adversely affected.

We believe our success has depended, and continues to depend, on the efforts and talents of our executives and employees. Our future success depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. Qualified individuals are in high demand,During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have encountered increased rates of turnover of our employee base and encountered intense competition for retaining and attracting qualified and skilled employees. Accordingly, we have incurred, and we may continue to incur, significant costs to attract new employees and retain them,existing ones, and we may become less competitive in attracting and retaining employees as a result of our recent expense reduction efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the loss ofany unplanned turnover or our failure to develop an adequate succession plan for any of our executive officers or key employees, or the reduction in their involvement in the management of our business, could materially adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and strategy, and we may not be able to find adequate replacements on a timely basis, or at all. Our executive officers and other employees are at-will employees, which means they may terminate their employment relationships with us at any time, and their knowledge of our business and industry would be extremely difficult to replace. We cannot ensure that we will be able to retain the services of any members of our senior management or other key employees. If we do not succeed in attracting well-qualified employees or retaining and motivating existing employees, our business could be materially and adversely affected.


In January 2021, we announced the promotion of Jason Trevisan from Chief Financial Officer and President, International to the role of Chief Executive Officer, and the transition of Langley Steinert from Chief Executive Officer to Executive Chairman. Additionally, Scot Fredo, our former Senior Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis, was appointed to succeed Jason Trevisan in the role of Chief Financial Officer. Furthermore, effective July 1, 2021, Kyle Lomeli separated from the Company in his role as Chief Technology Officer. We may face risks related to these and other transitions in our leadership team, including the disruption of our operations and the depletion of our institutional knowledge base.

We may be subject to disputes regarding the accuracy of Instant Market Values, Deal Ratings, Dealer Ratings, New Car Price Guidance and other features of our marketplaces.

We provide consumers using our CarGurus marketplaces with our proprietary IMV, Deal Ratings, and Dealer Ratings, as well as other features to help them evaluate vehicle listings, including price guidance for new car listings, or New Car Price Guidance. Our valuation models depend on the inventory listed on our sites as well as public information regarding automotive sales. If the inventory on our site declines significantly, or if the number of automotive sales declines significantly or used car sales prices become volatile, whether as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, our valuation models manymay not perform as expected. Revisions to or errors in our automated valuation models, or the algorithms that underlie them, may cause the IMV, the Deal Rating, New Car Price Guidance, or other features to vary from our expectations regarding the accuracy of these tools. In addition, from time to time, regulators, consumers, dealers and other industry participants may question or disagree with our IMV, Deal Rating, Dealer Rating or New Car Price Guidance. Any such questions or disagreements could result in distraction from our business or potentially harm our reputation, could result in a decline in consumers’ use of our marketplaces and could result in legal disputes.

We are subject to a complex framework of federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations, many of which are unsettled, still developing and contradictory, which have in the past, and could in the future, subject us to claims, challenge our business model, or otherwise harm our business.

Various aspects of our business are, may become, or may be viewed by regulators from time to time as subject, directly or indirectly, to United States federal, state and local laws and regulations, and to foreign laws and regulations. Failure to comply with such laws or regulations may result in the suspension or termination of our ability to do business in affected jurisdictions, the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties, including fines or the award of significant damages against us and dealers in class action or other civil litigation, or orders or settlements requiring us to make adjustments to our marketplaces and related products and services.

Local Motor Vehicle Sales, Advertising and Brokering, and Consumer Protection Laws

The advertising and sale of new and used motor vehicles is highly regulated by the jurisdictions in which we do business. Although we do not sell motor vehicles, and although we believe that vehicle listings on our sites are not themselves advertisements, regulatory authorities or third parties could take the position that some of the laws or regulations applicable to dealers or to the manner in which motor vehicles are advertised and sold generally are directly applicable to our business. These advertising laws and regulations are frequently subject to multiple interpretations and are not uniform from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, sometimes imposing inconsistent requirements with respect to new or used motor vehicles. If our marketplaces and related products are determined to not comply with relevant regulatory requirements, we or dealers could be subject to significant civil and criminal penalties, including fines, or the award of significant damages in class actions or other civil litigation, as well as orders interfering with our ability to continue providing our marketplaces and related products and services in certain jurisdictions. In addition, even absent such a determination, to the extent dealers are uncertain about the applicability of such laws and regulations to our business, we may lose, or have difficulty increasing the number of paying dealers, which would affect our future growth.

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If regulators or other third parties take the position that our marketplaces or related products violate applicable brokering, bird-dog, consumer protection, consumer finance or advertising laws or regulations, responding to such allegations could be costly, could require us to pay significant sums in settlements, could require us to pay civil and criminal penalties, including fines, could interfere with our ability to continue providing our marketplaces and related products in certain jurisdictions, or could require us to make adjustments to our marketplaces and related products or the manner in which we derive revenue from dealers using our platform, any or all of which could result in substantial adverse publicity, termination of subscriptions by dealers, decreased revenues, distraction for our employees, increased expenses, and decreased profitability.

Federal Laws and Regulations

The United States Federal Trade Commission, or the FTC, has the authority to take actions to remedy or prevent acts or practices that it considers to be unfair or deceptive and that affect commerce in the United States. If the FTC takes the position in the future that any aspect of our business, including our advertising and privacy practices, constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice, responding to such allegations could require us to defend our practices and pay significant damages, settlements, and civil penalties, or could require us to make adjustments to our marketplaces and related products and services, any or all of which could result in substantial adverse publicity, distraction for our employees, loss of participating dealers, lost revenues, increased expenses, and decreased profitability.

Our platforms enable us, dealers, and users to send and receive text messages and other mobile phone communications. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or the TCPA, as interpreted and implemented by the United States Federal Communications Commission, or the FCC, and federal and state courts, impose significant restrictions on utilization of telephone calls and text messages to residential and mobile telephone numbers as a means of communication, particularly if the prior express consent of the person being contacted has not been obtained. Violations of the TCPA may be enforced by the FCC, by state attorneys general, or by others through litigation,


including class actions. Furthermore, several provisions of the TCPA, as well as applicable rules and orders, are open to multiple interpretations, and compliance may involve fact-specific analyses.

Any failure by us, or the third parties on which we rely, to adhere to, or successfully implement, appropriate processes and procedures in response to existing or future laws and regulations could result in legal and monetary liability, fines and penalties, or damage to our reputation in the marketplace, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Even if the claims are meritless, we may be required to expend resources and pay costs to defend against regulatory actions or third-party claims. Additionally, any change to applicable laws or their interpretations that further restricts the way consumers and dealers interact through our platforms, or any governmental or private enforcement actions related thereto, could adversely affect our ability to attract customers and could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Antitrust and Other Laws

Antitrust and competition laws prohibit, among other things, any joint conduct among competitors that would lessen competition in the marketplace. We believe that we are in compliance with the legal requirements imposed by such antitrust laws. However, aA governmental or private civil action alleging the improper exchange of information, or unlawful participation in price maintenance or other unlawful or anticompetitive activity, even if unfounded, could be costly to defend and could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Other

Claims could be made against us under both United States and foreign laws, including claims for defamation, libel, invasion of privacy, false advertising, intellectual property infringement, or claims based on other theories related to the nature and content of the materials disseminated by our marketplaces and on portions of our websites. Our defense against any of these actions could be costly and involve significant time and attention of our management and other resources. If we become liable for information transmitted in our marketplaces, we could be directly harmed and we may be forced to implement new measures to reduce our exposure to this liability.

The foregoing description of laws and regulations to which we are or may be subject is not exhaustive, and the regulatory framework governing our operations is subject to continuous change. We are, and we will continue to be, exposed to legal and regulatory risks including with respect to privacy, tax, law enforcement, content, intellectual property, competition, and other matters. The enactment of new laws and regulations or the interpretation of existing laws and regulations, both domestically and internationally, may affect the operation of our business, directly or indirectly, which could result in substantial regulatory compliance costs, civil or criminal penalties, including fines, adverse publicity, loss of subscribing dealers, lost revenues, increased expenses, and decreased profitability. Further, investigations by governmental agencies, including the FTC, into allegedly anticompetitive, unfair, deceptive or other business practices by us or dealers using our marketplaces, could cause us to incur additional expenses and, if adversely concluded, could result in substantial civil or criminal penalties and significant legal liability, or orders requiring us to make adjustments to our marketplaces and related products and services.

Our business is subject to risks related to the larger automotive industry ecosystem, including consumer demand, global supply chain challenges, trade relations between the United States and other countries and other macroeconomic issues, including the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue, results of operations, and financial condition.

Decreases in consumer demand could adversely affect the market for automobile purchases and, as a result, reduce the number of consumers using our platform. Consumer purchases of new and used automobiles generally decline during recessionary periods and

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other periods in which disposable income is adversely affected and we expect that we have entered such a period as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.affected. Purchases of new and used automobiles are typically discretionary for consumers and have been, and may continue to be, affected by negative trends in the economy, including: the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of energy and gasoline; the availability and cost of credit; rising interest rates; reductions in business and consumer confidence; stock market volatility; and increased unemployment.

Further, in recent years the market for motor vehicles has experienced rapid changes in technology and consumer demands. Self-driving technology, ride sharing, transportation networks, and other fundamental changes in transportation including those arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic could impact consumer demand for the purchase of automobiles. A reduction in the number of automobiles purchased by consumers could adversely affect dealers and car manufacturers and lead to a reduction in other spending by these groups, including targeted incentive programs.

In addition, our business has been and may continue to be negatively affected by challenges to the larger automotive industry ecosystem, including global supply chain challenges, the global semiconductor chip shortage, changes to trade policies, including tariff rates and customs duties, trade relations between the United States and China and other macroeconomic issues, including the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue, results of operations, and financial condition.


The consequences we may face from the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue, results of operations, and financial condition.

The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, or the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit”, could adversely affect European and global economic or market conditions, contribute to instability in global financial markets, create uncertainty in the wider commercial, legal, and regulatory environment, and cause disruptions to our business and operations in the United Kingdom and between our corporate entities, including with respect to our employees, customers, suppliers, and consumers in the United Kingdom. As a result of this economic uncertainty, our dealer customers in particular may be unwilling to subscribe to our websites or renew or increase their existing subscriptions, as applicable. We may also face new regulatory costs and challenges that could have an adverse effect on our operations. Brexit has created economic uncertainty and its consequences could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue, results of operations, and financial condition.

Making decisions that we believe are in the best interests of our marketplaces may cause us to forgo short-term gains in pursuit of potential but uncertain long-term growth.

In the past, we have forgone, and we will in the future continue to forgo, certain expansion or short-term revenue opportunities that we do not believe are in the long-term best interests of our marketplaces, even if such decisions negatively impact our results of operations in the short term. For example, during select monthly service periods in 2020 and 2021, we recently provided paying dealers with reduced marketplace subscriptions for the April, May and June 2020 service periodsat no cost or at a discount in an effort to help our paying dealers maintain their business health during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, such strategies may not result in the long-term benefits that we expect, in which case our user traffic and engagement, business, and financial results could be harmed.

A significant disruption in service on our websites or mobile applications could damage our reputation and result in a loss of consumers, which could harm our business, brands, operating results, and financial condition.

Our brands, reputation, and ability to attract consumers, dealers, and advertisers depend on the reliable performance of our technology infrastructure and content delivery. We have experienced, and we may in the future experience, interruptions with our systems. Interruptions in these systems, whether due to system failures, computer viruses, ransomware, or physical or electronic break-ins, or otherwise, could affect the security or availability of our marketplaces on our websites and mobile applications, and prevent or inhibit the ability of dealers and consumers to access our marketplaces. For example, past disruptions have impacted our ability to activate customer accounts and manage our billing activities in a timely manner. Such interruptions could also result in third parties accessing our confidential and proprietary information, including our intellectual property. Problems with the reliability or security of our systems could harm our reputation, harm our ability to protect our confidential and proprietary information, result in a loss of consumers and dealers, and result in additional costs.

Substantially all of the communications, network, and computer hardware used to operate our platforms is located in the United States near each of Boston, Massachusetts and Dallas, Texas, and internationally near each of London, England.England and Dublin, Ireland. Although we havecan host our U.S. CarGurus’ marketplace from two alternative locations in the United States and we believe our systems are redundant, there may be exceptions for certain hardware or software. In addition, we do not own or control the operation of these facilities. We also use third-party hosting services to back up some data but do not maintain redundant systems or facilities for some of the services. A disruption to one or more of these systems may cause us to experience an extended period of system unavailability, which could negatively impact our relationship with consumers, customers and advertisers. We are planning a migration of our European data center to a different provider. We do not maintain redundant systems or facilities for some of the services hosted in our current environment.  In the event the migration results in disruption to one or more of these systems, we may experience an extended period of system unavailability, which could negatively impact our relationship with consumers, customers and advertisers. Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attacks, acts of war, electronic and physical break-ins, computer viruses, earthquakes, and similar events. The occurrence of any of these events could result in damage to our systems and hardware or could cause them to fail. In addition, we may not have sufficient protection or recovery plans in certain circumstances.

Problems faced by our third-party web hosting providers could adversely affect the experience consumers have while using our marketplaces. Our third-party web hosting providers could close their facilities without adequate notice. Any financial difficulties, up to and including bankruptcy, faced by our third-party web hosting providers or any of the service providers whose services they use, which may be exacerbated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, may have negative effects on our business, the nature and extent of which are difficult to predict. If our third-party web hosting providers are unable to keep up with our capacity needs, our business could be harmed.

Any errors, defects, disruptions, or other performance or reliability problems with our network operations could cause interruptions in access to our marketplaces as well as delays and additional expense in arranging new facilities and services and could harm our reputation, business, operating results, and financial condition. Although we carry insurance, it may not be sufficient to compensate us for the potentially significant losses, including the potential harm to the future growth of our business, that may result from interruptions in our service as a result of system failures.


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We collect, process, store, transfer, share, disclose, and use consumer information and other data, and our actual or perceived failure to protect such information and data or respect users’ privacy could damage our reputation and brands and harm our business and operating results.

Some functions of our marketplaces involve the storage and transmission of consumers’ information, such as IP addresses, contact information of users who connect with dealers and profile information of users who create accounts on our marketplaces, as well as dealers’ information. We also process and store personal and confidential information of our vendors, partners, and employees. Some of this information may be private, and security breaches could expose us to a risk of loss or exposure of this information, which could result in potential liability, litigation, and remediation costs. For example, hackers could steal our users’ profile passwords, names, email addresses, phone numbers, and other personal information. We rely on encryption and authentication technology licensed from third parties to effect secure transmission of such information. Like all information systems and technology, our websites, mobile applications, and information systems are subject to computer viruses, break-ins, phishing attacks, attempts to overload the systems with denial-of-service or other attacks, ransomware, and similar incidents or disruptions from unauthorized use of our computer systems, any of which could lead to interruptions, delays, or website shutdowns, and could cause loss of critical data and the unauthorized disclosure, access, acquisition, alteration, and use of personal or other confidential information. If we experience compromises to our security that result in website or mobile application performance or availability problems, the complete shutdown of our websites or mobile applications, or the loss or unauthorized disclosure, access, acquisition, alteration, or use of confidential information, consumers, customers, advertisers, partners, vendors, and employees may lose trust and confidence in us, and consumers may decrease the use of our websites or stop using our websites entirely, dealers may stop or decrease their subscriptions with us, and advertisers may decrease or stop advertising on our websites.

Further, outside parties have attempted and will likely continue to attempt to fraudulently induce employees, consumers, or advertisers to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our information or our consumers’, dealers’, advertisers’, and employees’ information. As cyber-attacks increase in frequency and sophistication, our cyber-security and business continuity plans may not be effective in anticipating, preventing and effectively responding to all potential cyber-risk exposures. In addition, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently, often are not recognized until after having been launched against a target, and may originate from less regulated and remote areas around the world, we may be unable to proactively address these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures.

Any or all of the issues above could adversely affect our brand reputation, negatively impact our ability to attract new consumers and increase engagement by existing consumers, cause existing consumers to curtail or stop use of our marketplaces or close their accounts, cause existing dealers and advertisers to cancel their contracts, cause employees to terminate their employment, cause employment candidates to be unwilling to pursue employment opportunities or accept employment offers, and or subject us to governmental or third-party lawsuits, investigations, regulatory fines, or other actions or liability, thereby harming our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

There are numerous federal, national, state, and local laws and regulations in the United States and around the world regarding privacy and the collection, processing, storage, sharing, disclosure, use, cross-border transfer, and protection of personal information and other data. These laws and regulations are evolving, are subject to differing interpretations, may be costly to comply with, may result in regulatory fines or penalties, may subject us to third-party lawsuits, may be inconsistent between countries and jurisdictions, and may conflict with other requirements.

We seek to comply with industry standards and are subject to the terms of our privacy policies and privacy-related obligations to third parties, as well as all applicable laws and regulations relating to privacy and data protection. However, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in new ways or in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices and that new regulations could be enacted. Several proposals have recently become effective or are pending, as applicable, before federal, state, local, and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies that could significantly affect our business, including the General Data Protection Regulation in the EU, or the GDPR, which went into effect on May 25, 2018, and the California Consumer Privacy Act, or the CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020.2020, and the California Privacy Rights Act, or the CPRA, and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, or the VCDPA, each of which goes into effect on January 1, 2023. The GDPR and CCPA in particular have already required, and along with the CPRA and VCDPA, may further require, us to change our policies and procedures and may in the future require us to make changes to our marketplaces and other products. These and other requirements could reduce demand for our marketplaces and other offerings, require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts and restrict our ability to store, transfer, and process data, which may seriously harm our business. Similarly, Brexit and the Schrems II decision of the Court of Justice of the EU may require us to change our policies and procedures and, if we are not in compliance, may also seriously harm our business. We may not be entirely successful in our efforts to comply with the evolving regulations to which we are subject due to various factors within our control, such as limited internal resource allocation, or outside our control, such as a lack of vendor cooperation, new regulatory interpretations, or lack of regulatory guidance in respect of certain GDPR, CCPA, CPRA or CCPAVCDPA requirements.

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Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with United States and international data protection laws and regulations, our privacy policies, or our privacy-related obligations to consumers, customers, employees and other third parties, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of sensitive information, which could include personal information or other user data, may result in governmental investigations, enforcement actions, regulatory fines, litigation, criminal penalties, or public


statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others, and could cause consumers and dealers to lose trust in us, which could significantly impact our brand reputation and have an adverse effect on our business. Additionally, if any third party that we share information with experiences a security breach or fails to comply with its privacy-related legal obligations or commitments to us, such matters may put employee, consumer or dealer information at risk and could in turn expose us to claims for damages or regulatory fines or penalties and harm our reputation, business, and operating results.

Our ability to attract consumers to our own websites and forto provide certain services to our customers depends on the collection of consumer data from various sources, which may be restricted by consumer choice, privacy restrictions, imposed by advertising partners, web browsers or other software, and developments in laws, regulations and industry standards.

The success of our consumer marketing and the delivery of internet advertisements for our customers depends on our ability to leverage data, including data that we collect from our customers, data we receive from our publisher partners and third parties, and data from our operations. Using cookies and non-cookie-based technologies, such as mobile advertising identifiers, we collect information about the interactions of users with our customers’ and publishers’ digital properties (including, for example, information about the placement of advertisements and users’ shopping or other interactions with our customers’ websites or advertisements). Our ability to successfully leverage such data depends on our continued ability to access and use such data, which could be restricted by a number of factors, including: increasing consumer adoption of “do not track” mechanisms as a result of legislation including GDPR, CCPA, CPRA and CCPA;VCDPA; privacy restrictions imposed by web browser developers, advertising partners or other software developers that impair our ability to understand the preferences of consumers by limiting the use of third-party cookies or other tracking technologies or data indicating or predicting consumer preferences; and new developments in, or new interpretations of, privacy laws, regulations and industry standards.

Each of these developments could materially impact our ability to collect consumer data and deliver relevant internet advertisements to attract consumers to our websites or to deliver targeted advertising for our advertising customers. If we are unsuccessful in evolving our advertising and marketing strategies to adapt to and mitigate these evolving consumer data limitations, our business results could be materially impacted.

We have been, and may again be, subject to intellectual property disputes, which are costly to defend and could harm our business and operating results.

We have been, and expect in the future to be, subject to claims and litigation alleging that we infringe others’ intellectual property rights, including the trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property rights of third parties, including from our competitors or non-practicing entities. We may also learn of possible infringement to our trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property. In addition, we could be subject to lawsuits where consumers and dealers posting content on our websites disseminate materials that infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties.

Patent and other intellectual property litigation may be protracted and expensive, and the results are difficult to predict and may result in significant settlement costs or payment of substantial damages. Many potential litigants, including patent holding companies, have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights and to defend claims that may be brought against them. Furthermore, a successful claimant could secure a judgment that requires us to stop offering some features or prevents us from conducting our business as we have historically done or may desire to do in the future. We might also be required to seek a license and pay royalties for the use of such intellectual property, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. Alternatively, we may be required to modify our marketplaces and features while we develop non-infringing substitutes, which could require significant effort and expense and may ultimately not be successful.

In addition, we use open source software in our platform and will use open source software in the future. From time to time, we may face claims from companies that incorporate open source software into their products, claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, the source code, the open source software, or derivative works that were developed using such software, or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could also result in litigation, require us to purchase a costly license or require us to devote additional product, technology, and development resources to change our platforms or services, any of which would have a negative effect on our business and operating results.

Even if these matters do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor or without significant cash settlements, these matters, and the time and resources necessary to litigate or resolve them, could harm our business, our operating results, and our reputation.

Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property could harm our business and operating results.

Our business depends on our intellectual property, the protection of which is crucial to the success of our business. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright law and contractual restrictions to protect our intellectual property. In

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addition, we attempt to protect our intellectual property, technology, and confidential information by requiring our employees and consultants to enter into confidentiality and assignment of inventions agreements and third parties to enter into nondisclosure agreements as we deem appropriate. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our platform’s features, software, and functionality or obtain and use information that we consider proprietary.


Competitors may adopt trademarks or trade names similar to ours, thereby harming our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to user confusion. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks, or trademarks that incorporate variations of our trademarks. While weWe have registered the CARGURUS and CG logos, in the U.S. Canada, the EUand the United Kingdom, as well as the word-mark CARGURUS, in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom and, for a subset of services, Ireland, we were not able to register the word-mark CARGURUS in the EU as the mark was deemed to be non-distinctive, and thus not registerable.  Kingdom.

We currently hold the “CarGurus.com” internet domain name and various other related domain names relating to our brands. The regulation of domain names is subject to change. Regulatory bodies could establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars, or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, we may not be able to acquire or maintain all domain names that use the names of our brands. In addition, third parties have created and may in the future create copycat or squatter domains to deceive consumers, which could harm our brands, interfere with our ability to register domain names, and result in additional costs.

We may be unable to halt the operations of websites that aggregate or misappropriate our data.

From time to time, third parties may misappropriate our data through website scraping, robots, or other means and aggregate this data with data from other sources. In addition, copycat websites may misappropriate data in our marketplaces and attempt to imitate our brands or the functionality of our websites. If we become aware of such activities, we intend to employ technological or legal measures in an attempt to halt their operations. However, we may be unable to detect and remedy all such activities in a timely manner. In some cases, our available remedies may not be adequate to protect us against the impact of such operations. Regardless of whether we can successfully enforce our rights against these third parties, any measures that we may take could require us to expend significant financial or other resources, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, to the extent that such activity creates confusion among consumers or advertisers, our brands and business could be harmed.

Seasonality and other factors may cause fluctuations in our operating results and our marketing spend.

Across the retail automotive industry, consumer purchases are typically greatest in the first three quarters of each year, due in part to the introduction of new vehicle models from manufacturers and the seasonal nature of consumer spending, and our consumer-marketing spend generally fluctuates accordingly. As consumer automotive purchases slow in the fourth quarter, our rate of marketing spend typically also slows. This seasonality has not been immediately apparent historically due to the overall growth of other operating expenses. In addition, reduction of our marketing spend in response to COVID-19-related expense management and shifts in demand from dealers and consumers could impact the efficiency of our marketing spend. For example, a larger portion of our advertising may run during peak holiday seasonality for retail advertisers, inflating our media costs. As our growth rates moderate or cease, the impact of these seasonality trends and other influences on our results of operations could become more pronounced. In addition, the volume of wholesale vehicle sales fluctuates from quarter to quarter and as a result of macroeconomic issues, such as the global semiconductor chip shortage, which may have a corresponding impact on our results of operations. This variability is caused by several factors including the timing of used vehicles available for sale from selling customers, the seasonality of the retail market for used vehicles and/or inventory challenges in the automotive industry, which affect the demand side of the wholesale industry.

Failure to deal effectively with fraud or other illegal activity could lead to potential legal liability, harm our business, cause us to lose paying dealer customers and adversely affect our reputation, financial performance and prospects for growth.

Based on the nature of our business, we are exposed to potential fraudulent and illegal activity in our marketplaces, including: listings of automobiles that are not owned by the purported dealer or that the dealer has no intention of selling at the listed price; receipt of fraudulent leads that we may send to our dealers; and deceptive practices in our peer-to-peer marketplace. The measures we have in place to detect and limit the occurrence of such fraudulent and illegal activity in our marketplaces may not always be effective or account for all types of fraudulent or other illegal activity. Further, the measures that we use to detect and limit the occurrence of fraudulent and illegal activity must be dynamic, as technologies and ways to commit fraud and illegal activity are continually evolving. Failure to limit the impact of fraudulent and illegal activity on our websites could lead to potential legal liability, harm our business, cause us to lose paying dealer customers and adversely affect our reputation, financial performance and prospects for growth.

Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock

Our founder controls a majority of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock, and, therefore, has control over key decision-making and could control our actions in a manner that conflicts with the interests of other stockholders.

Primarily by virtue of his holdings in shares of our Class B common stock, which has a ten-to-one voting ratio compared to our Class A common stock, Langley Steinert, our founder, ChiefChairman of the Board and Executive Officer and Chairman, is able to exercise voting rights with respect to a majority of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock and therefore has the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation, or sale of all or

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substantially all of our assets. This concentrated control could delay, defer, or prevent a change of control, merger, consolidation, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets that our other stockholders support, or conversely this concentrated control could result in the consummation of such a transaction that our other stockholders do not support. This concentrated control could also discourage a potential investor from acquiring our Class A common stock, which might harm the trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, Mr. Steinert has the ability to controlsignificant influence in the management and major strategic investments of our company as a result of his positionsposition as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, and his ability to control the election or replacement of our directors. As a


board memberChairman of the Board and officer,our Executive Chairman, Mr. Steinert owes a fiduciary duty to our stockholders and must act in good faith in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of our stockholders. If Mr. Steinert’s status as an officer and a director is terminated, his fiduciary duties to our stockholders will also terminate, but his voting power as a stockholder will not be reduced as a result of such termination unless such termination is either made voluntarily by Mr. Steinert or due to Mr. Steinert’s death, or if the sum of the number of shares of our capital stock held by Mr. Steinert, by any Family Member of Mr. Steinert, and by any Permitted Entity of Mr. Steinert (as such terms are defined in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation), assuming the exercise and settlement in full of all outstanding options and convertible securities and calculated on an as-converted to Class A common stock basis, is less than 9,091,484 shares. As a stockholder, even a controlling stockholder, Mr. Steinert is entitled to vote his shares in his own interests, which may not always be aligned with the interests of our other stockholders.

We believe that Mr. Steinert’s continued control of a majority of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock is beneficial to us and is in the best interests of our stockholders. In the event that Mr. Steinert no longer controls a majority of the voting power, whether as a result of the disposition of some or all his shares of Class A or Class B common stock, the conversion of the Class B common stock into Class A common stock in accordance with its terms, or otherwise, our business or the trading price of our Class A common stock may be adversely affected.

The multiple class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting control with our founder and certain other holders of our Class B common stock, which will limit or preclude the ability of our stockholders to influence corporate matters.

Our Class B common stock has ten votes per share and our Class A common stock has one vote per share. Our founder and certain of his affiliates hold a substantial number of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock and therefore hold a substantial majority of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. Because of the ten-to-one voting ratio between our Class B and Class A common stock, the holders of our Class B common stock collectively control a majority of the combined voting power of our common stock and therefore are able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval so long as the shares of Class B common stock represent at least 9.1% of all outstanding shares of our Class A and Class B common stock. This concentrated control will limit or preclude the ability of our other stockholders to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future.

Transfers by holders of Class B common stock will generally result in those shares converting into Class A common stock, subject to limited exceptions, such as certain transfers effected for estate planning or charitable purposes. The conversion of Class B common stock into Class A common stock has had and will continue to have the effect, over time, of increasing the relative voting power of those holders of Class B common stock who retain such shares. If, for example, Mr. Steinert retains a significant portion of his holdings of Class B common stock, he could continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of our outstanding capital stock.

The trading price of our Class A common stock has been and may continue to be volatile and the value of our stockholders’ investment in our stock could decline.

The trading price of our Class A common stock has been and may continue to be volatile and fluctuate substantially. The trading price of our Class A common stock depends on a number of factors, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section, many of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our Class A common stock include the following: changes in the operating performance and stock market valuations of other technology companies generally, or those in our industry in particular; sales of shares of our Class A common stock by us or our stockholders; adverse changes to recommendations regarding our stock by securities analysts that cover us; failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors; announcements by us or our competitors of new products; the public’s reaction to our issuances of earnings guidance or other public announcements and filing; real or perceived inaccuracies in our key metrics; actions of an activist stockholder; actual or anticipated changes in our operating results or fluctuations in our operating results or developments in our business, our competitors’ businesses, or the competitive landscape generally; litigation involving us or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors; developments or disputes concerning our proprietary rights; announced or completed acquisitions of businesses or technologies by us or our competitors; new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business; changes in accounting standards, policies, or guidelines; any significant change in our management; changes in the automobile industry; and general economic conditions, including as related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Our status as a “controlled company” could make our Class A common stock less attractive to some investors or otherwise harm the trading price of our Class A common stock.

More than 50% of our voting power is held by Mr. Steinert. As a result, we are a “controlled company” under the corporate governance rules for Nasdaq-listed companies. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company is a controlled companycompanies and may elect not to comply with certain Nasdaq corporate governance requirements. We rely and have relied on certain or all of these exemptions. Accordingly, should the interests of our controlling stockholder differ from those of other stockholders, the other stockholders may not have the same protections afforded to


stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance rules for Nasdaq-listed companies. Our status as a controlled company could make our Class A common stock less attractive to some investors or otherwise harm our stock price.

General Risk Factors

We participate in a highly competitive market, and pressure from existing and new companies may adversely affect our business and operating results.

We face significant competition from companies that provide listings, car-shopping information, lead generation, marketing, wholesale, and digital car-buying and -selling services designed to help consumers and dealers shop for cars and to enable dealers to reach these consumers. Our competitors include include: online automotive marketplaces and websites,websites; internet search engines, digital marketing providers, peer to peer marketplaces,engines; peer-to-peer marketplaces; social media marketplaces; sites operated by automobile dealers,dealers; online dealerships; and online dealerships.vehicle auction companies. We compete with these and other companies for a share of dealers’ overall marketing budget for online and offline media marketing spend and we compete with these and other companies in attracting consumers to our websites. To the extent that dealers view alternative marketing and media strategies to be superior to our marketplaces, we may not be able to maintain or grow the number of dealers subscribing to, and advertising on, our marketplaces, and our business and financial results may be adversely affected. We also expect that new competitors will continue to enter the online automotive retail industryand wholesale industries with competing marketplaces, products, and services, and that existing competitors will expand to offer competing products or services, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Our competitors could significantly impede our ability to expand the number of dealers using our marketplaces or could offer discounts that could significantly impede our ability to maintain our pricing structure. Our competitors may also develop and market new technologies that render our existing or future platforms and associated products less competitive, unmarketable, or obsolete. In addition, if our competitors develop platforms with similar or superior functionality to ours, or if our web traffic declines, we may need to decrease our subscription and advertising fees. If we are unable to maintain our current pricing structure due to competitive pressures, our revenue would likely be reduced and our financial results would be negatively affected.

Our existing and potential competitors may have significantly more financial, technical, marketing, and other resources than we have, which may allow them to offer more competitive pricing and the ability to devote greater resources to the development, promotion, and support of their marketplaces, products, and services. They may also have more extensive automotive industry relationships than we have, longer operating histories, and greater name recognition. In addition, these competitors may be able to respond more quickly with technological advances and to undertake more extensive marketing or promotional campaigns than we can. To the extent that any competitor has existing relationships with dealers or auto manufacturers for marketing or data analytics solutions, those dealers and auto manufacturers may be unwilling to partner with us. If we are unable to compete with these competitors, the demand for our marketplaces and related products and services could substantially decline.

We rely on third-party service providers and strategic partners for many aspects of our business, and any failure to maintain these relationships or to successfully integrate certain third-party platforms could harm our business.

Our success depends upon our relationships with third parties, including, among others, our payment processor, our data center hosts, our information technology providers and our data providers for inventory and vehicle information. If these third parties experience difficulty meeting our requirements or standards, have adverse audit results, violate the terms of our agreements or applicable law, fail to obtain or maintain applicable licenses, or if the relationships we have established with such third parties expire or otherwise terminate, it could make it difficult for us to operate some aspects of our business, which could damage our business and reputation. In addition, if such third-party service providers or strategic partners were to cease operations, temporarily or permanently, face financial distress or other business disruptions, increase their fees, or if our relationships with these providers or partners deteriorate or terminate, whether as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, we could suffer increased costs and we may be unable to provide consumers with content or provide similar services until an equivalent provider could be found or we could develop replacement technology or operations. In addition, if we are unsuccessful in identifying or finding high-quality partners, if we fail to negotiate cost-effective relationships with them, or if we ineffectively manage these relationships, it could have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.

Our enterprise systems require that we integrate the platforms hosted by certain third-party service providers. We are responsible for integrating these platforms and updating them to maintain proper functionality. Issues with these integrations, our failure to properly update third-party platforms or any interruptions to our internal enterprise systems could harm our business by causing delays in our ability to quote, activate service and bill new and existing customers on our platform.

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We must maintain proper and effective internal controlscontrol over financial reporting and any failure to maintain the adequacy of these internal controls may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock could decline.stock.

We are required, pursuant to Section 404 and the related rules adopted by the SEC, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting on an annual basis. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. During the


evaluation and testing process, if we identify and fail to remediate one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective.

In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404. Our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse to us in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. We may not be able to remediate any future material weaknesses, or to complete our evaluation, testing and required remediation in a timely fashion. We are also required to disclose significant changes made to our internal control procedures on a quarterly basis. Our compliance with Section 404 requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts.

Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective or our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting when it is required to issue such opinion, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our Class A common stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.

We expect our results of operations to fluctuate on a quarterly and annual basis.

Our revenue and results of operations could vary significantly from period to period and may fail to match expectations as a result of a variety of factors, some of which are outside of our control, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results may vary as a result of fluctuations in the number of dealers subscribing to our marketplaces and the size and seasonal variability of our advertisers’ marketing budgets. As a result of the potential variations in our revenue and results of operations, period-to-period comparisons may not be meaningful and the results of any one period should not be relied on as an indication of future performance. In addition, our results of operations may not meet the expectations of investors or public market analysts who follow us, which may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock.

We could be subject to adverse changes in applicable tax laws, regulations and interpretations, as well asplus challenges to our tax positions.

We are subject to taxation in the United States and certain other jurisdictions in which we operate. Changes in applicable tax laws or regulations may be proposed or enacted that could materially and adversely affect our effective tax rate, tax payments, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, tax laws and regulations are complex and subject to varying interpretations. There is also uncertainty over sales tax liability as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., which could precipitate reactions by legislators, regulators and courts that could adversely increase our tax administrative costs and tax risk, and negatively affect our overall business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We are also regularly subject to audits by tax authorities. For example, we are currently under audit by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to our 2016, 2017 and 2018 federal employment taxes and our 2017 corporate income taxes as well as by New York State for our 2014 – 2020 sales and use taxes. Any adverse development or outcome in connection with theseany such tax audits, and any other audits or litigation, could materially and adversely impact our effective tax rate, tax payments, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Confidentiality agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of our trade secrets and other proprietary information.

In order to protect our technologies and processes, we rely in part on confidentiality agreements with our employees, independent contractors, and other advisors. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information, including trade secrets, and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. To the extent that our employees, contractors, or other third parties with whom we do business use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights to related or resulting know-how and inventions. In addition, any changes in, or unexpected interpretations of, intellectual property laws may compromise our ability to enforce our trade secret and intellectual property rights. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain protection of our trade secrets or other proprietary information could harm our business, results of operations, reputation, and competitive position.


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Item 6. Exhibits.

The exhibits listed below are filed or incorporated by reference into this Quarterly Report.

Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit

Number

Exhibit Description

Form

File

Number

Filing

Date

Exhibit

Number

Filed

Herewith

 

 

  10.1  31.1

Third Amendment to Lease, dated as of July 1, 2020, between 55 Cambridge Parkway, LLC and the Registrant.

X

  10.2

First Amendment to Lease, dated as of October 27, 2015, between BCSP Cambridge Two Property, LLC and the Registrant.

X

  10.3

Second Amendment to Lease, dated as of September 28, 2020, between Two Canal Park Massachusetts, LLC, as successor-in-interest to BCSP Cambridge Two Property, LLC, and the Registrant.

X

  31.1

Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

X

  31.2

  31.2

Certification of Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

X

  32.1*

  32.1*

Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

X

  32.2*

  32.2*

Certification of Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

X

101.INS

101.INS

Inline XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded with the Inline XBRL document.

 

101.SCH

101.SCH

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.

X

101.CAL

101.CAL

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.

X

101.DEF

101.DEF

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.

X

101.LAB

101.LAB

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.

X

101.PRE

101.PRE

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.

X

104

104

The cover page from the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020,2021, formatted in Inline XBRL.

X

*

The certifications furnished in Exhibit 32.1 and Exhibit 32.2 hereto are deemed to accompany this Quarterly Report and will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.

X


SIGNATURES

* The certifications furnished in Exhibit 32.1 and Exhibit 32.2 hereto are deemed to accompany this Quarterly Report and will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

CarGurus, Inc.

 

 

 

 

Date: November 5, 20209, 2021

 

By:

/s/ Langley SteinertJason Trevisan

 

 

 

Langley SteinertJason Trevisan

 

 

 

Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

 

Date: November 5, 20209, 2021

 

By:

/s/ Jason TrevisanScot Fredo

 

 

 

Jason TrevisanScot Fredo

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer and President, International

(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

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