Melbourne, May 4, 2026, 08:03 (AEST)
CAR Group Limited heads into Monday’s ASX session with AustralianSuper newly disclosed as a substantial shareholder and investors still weighing a change in the company’s ASX liaison role at the online vehicle marketplace operator. Market Index data showed AustralianSuper Pty Ltd with 19,535,582 shares, or 5.16%, while CAR said last week it had appointed Michael Sapountzis as company secretary, effective April 29.
The timing matters because the stock has been under pressure even as the company has held to its full-year targets. Google Finance showed CAR at A$25.26 at the May 1 close, down 0.43% on the day and well below its 52-week high of A$42.06.
The ASX cash market had not yet opened at the dateline. Normal trading starts at 09:59:45 Sydney time and runs to 16:00, according to the exchange, leaving the latest filings rather than fresh trades as the first read for investors.
A substantial shareholder is an investor with at least 5% of a company’s voting shares, a level that triggers market disclosure in Australia. Market Index listed State Street, BlackRock and Vanguard as other substantial holders, putting AustralianSuper alongside large global institutions on CAR’s register.
Sapountzis replaces interim company secretary David McIndoe. CAR said Sapountzis would be the designated person responsible for communications with the ASX under Listing Rule 12.6, a governance role that matters for listed-company filings and market contact.
These are ownership and governance items, not an operating update. Still, they land ahead of the next test for a business spanning Australia’s carsales, South Korea’s Encar, the U.S.-based Trader Interactive, Chile’s chileautos and Brazil’s webmotors, where CAR is a majority shareholder.
CAR’s last results gave investors the numbers they are working from. The company said pro forma revenue, adjusted to strip out the exited Australian Tyres business from both periods, rose 13% in constant currency to A$626 million in the half year to Dec. 31; reported net profit after tax, or NPAT, rose 16% to A$143 million.
William Elliott, managing director and CEO, said the company had delivered a strong first half and cited double-digit growth across key financial metrics. He also called artificial intelligence “a critical enabler,” pointing to a Brazil hub meant to build technology once and scale it across the group.
Guidance remains the live issue. CAR reaffirmed FY26 expectations for pro forma revenue growth of 12% to 14%, pro forma EBITDA growth of 10% to 13% and adjusted NPAT growth of 9% to 13%, all in constant currency. EBITDA means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, a common measure of operating profit before financing and accounting charges.
Analysts have not walked away, at least on public trackers. TipRanks showed Andrew McLeod at Morgan Stanley reiterating a Buy rating with an A$32 target on April 30, while Citi’s Siraj Ahmed reiterated Buy with an A$34.70 target on April 27; its table showed seven Buy ratings, two Hold ratings and no Sell ratings among nine analysts.
The comparison set is broader than cars. IG Australia grouped CAR with SEEK and REA Group among established Australian “old tech” names, a shorthand investors use for digital classified and marketplace operators that can trade on growth expectations as much as current earnings. IG
But the outlook is not clean. CAR said its FY26 targets depend on macroeconomic conditions, geopolitical risk, customer demand and movements in inflation and foreign exchange, and it expects a higher effective tax rate as U.S. tax losses are depleted. If vehicle listing demand softens or currency moves cut into reported numbers, the AustralianSuper disclosure may not be enough to steady the stock.
The next formal earnings marker is still months away; Market Index lists forecasted preliminary and annual reports for Aug. 10, 2026. Until then, Monday’s price action will show whether investors treat last week’s register change as a sign of support or just another filing around a stock still trading well below last year’s levels.
