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Mister Car Wash (MCW)
NASDAQ:MCW
US Market

Mister Car Wash (MCW) AI Stock Analysis

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MCW

Mister Car Wash

(NASDAQ:MCW)

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Neutral 66 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:66Neutral
Price Target:
$7.50
▲(6.69% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:02/20/26
The score is driven primarily by improving financial results (growth and profitability recovery) but held back by leverage and uneven free cash flow. Technically, the trend is positive with strong momentum, though indicators look stretched. Valuation is middling with a ~22.5 P/E and no dividend support, while the earnings call tone was broadly constructive with high-end guidance tempered by retail and competitive headwinds.
Positive Factors
Recurring revenue from Unlimited Wash Club
A ~2.3M Unlimited Wash Club base with 7% Q4 growth creates durable, subscription-driven revenue. Recurring memberships improve demand predictability, raise customer lifetime value, and support steady unit economics, insulating revenue from single-visit volatility over months.
Scale via new builds and acquisitions
A large, growing national footprint (527 sites across 21 states and ongoing M&A) provides durable advantages: better unit economics, marketing scale for memberships, and local market density that supports cross-site promotions and higher throughput over the medium term.
Improving profitability and margins
Transition from losses in 2021 to consistent positive earnings and margin expansion to ~10% reflects operational leverage from scale and recurring revenue. Sustained margin improvement supports cash generation and reinvestment capacity if maintained across 2–6 months.
Negative Factors
Elevated leverage and balance-sheet sensitivity
Although leverage has improved, absolute debt remains elevated, leaving the company sensitive to macro shocks or tighter credit. High leverage constrains flexibility for capex, acquisitions, or weathering weaker demand without refinancing or asset sales over the medium term.
Uneven and limited free cash flow
Volatile FCF and low conversion (~10% of net income in 2025) limit the firm's ability to reduce debt, fund growth, or return capital without external financing. Persistent capex or acquisition spending could keep FCF constrained, affecting long-term financial resilience.
Competitive pressure and retail weakness
New local competitors and declining retail comps reduce pricing power and can slow membership and same-store sales expansion. Ongoing competition in overlap markets could compress margins and require higher marketing or promotional spend to defend share over the coming months.

Mister Car Wash (MCW) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Mister Car Wash Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionMister Car Wash, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides conveyorized car wash services in the United States. It offers express exterior and interior cleaning services. As of June 16, 2022, it operated 407 car wash locations in 21 states. The company was formerly known as Hotshine Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Mister Car Wash, Inc. in March 2021. Mister Car Wash, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.
How the Company Makes MoneyMister Car Wash generates revenue primarily through its car wash services and subscription model. Customers can choose from one-time washes or opt for a monthly subscription that offers unlimited washes for a fixed fee. This subscription model not only provides a steady stream of recurring revenue but also enhances customer loyalty. Additionally, MCW earns revenue from upselling related services such as detailing and interior cleaning. The company has established partnerships with various suppliers for car wash equipment and eco-friendly cleaning products, which can help optimize operational efficiency and reduce costs, further contributing to its overall profitability.

Mister Car Wash Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Oct 29, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 06, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The earnings call reflects a strong financial performance with significant revenue and EBITDA growth, successful strategic initiatives in M&A, and promising results from marketing efforts. However, challenges remain in the form of declining retail comps, competitive pressures, and flat sequential membership growth. Despite these challenges, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives.
Q3-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Revenue and EBITDA Growth
Revenue increased by 6% to $263 million and adjusted EBITDA rose by 10% to $87 million, marking strong financial performance in Q3 2025.
Consistent Comparable Store Sales Growth
Achieved a 3.1% increase in comparable store sales, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of comp gains.
UWC Membership Expansion
Ended Q3 with approximately 2.2 million UWC members, a 6% increase year-over-year, with the Titanium 360 tier reaching 25% penetration of the total membership base.
M&A and Market Expansion
Acquired five stores in Lubbock, Texas, more than doubling the market share and expanding the footprint to 527 stores across 21 states.
Record High Q3 EBITDA Margin
Reported the highest Q3 EBITDA margin ever at 32.9%, with a 130 basis point improvement.
Positive Trends in Marketing Tests
Saw promising results from Q2 marketing tests and are expanding the program to drive future growth.
Negative Updates
Decline in Retail Comps
Retail comps performed in line with expectations for a low double-digit decrease, indicating challenges in retail sales.
Challenges with Competitive Pressure
49 sites facing competition less than a year old comped down low single digits, showing ongoing competitive challenges.
Flat Sequential Membership Growth
Sequential membership base remained relatively flat, indicating challenges in growing the member base further.
Interior Clean Locations Underperformance
63 interior clean locations comped at a negative 1.6%, serving as a headwind to the overall comp.
Company Guidance
During the third quarter of 2025, Mister Car Wash reported a 6% increase in revenue to $263 million and a 10% rise in adjusted EBITDA to $87 million. The company also achieved a 3.1% growth in comparable store sales, marking its tenth consecutive quarter of positive comp gains. Membership in the Unlimited Wash Club (UWC) grew by 6% year-over-year, reaching approximately 2.2 million members. The Titanium 360 tier alone accounted for 25% of the total membership base. Mister Car Wash also highlighted its plans to open about 30 new stores by the end of the year, having already opened five new greenfield locations, bringing its total store count to 527 across 21 states. Additionally, the company announced the acquisition of five stores in Lubbock, Texas, which expanded its market footprint to nine locations. Adjusted EPS increased by 38% to $0.11, and the company ended the quarter with a leverage ratio of 2.4x adjusted EBITDA. Looking forward, Mister Car Wash expects full-year revenue to be near the high end of its guidance range of $1.046 billion to $1.054 billion, with adjusted EBITDA also at the high end of the guidance of $338 million to $342 million.

Mister Car Wash Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Income statement trends are solid (steady revenue growth and improved profitability into 2025), but the balance sheet still carries meaningful leverage risk and free cash flow has been volatile with only modest improvement recently.
Income Statement
72
Positive
Revenue has grown steadily from 2022–2025 (annual growth of ~6%–16% recently, with 2025 showing a very strong jump vs. 2024). Profitability has improved materially from the 2021 loss to solid positive earnings in 2022–2025, with net margin around ~10% in 2025 (up from ~7% in 2024). A key weakness is margin volatility: net margin peaked in 2022 and then compressed in 2023–2024 before improving again in 2025, suggesting earnings power is not yet fully stable.
Balance Sheet
58
Neutral
Leverage appears to be improving, with debt relative to equity declining meaningfully by 2025 versus 2021–2024, and equity building over time. Returns on equity are positive in recent years (~7%–9% in 2024–2025), indicating the business is generating profits on shareholders’ capital. The main risk remains balance-sheet leverage: debt is still large in absolute terms, and the company previously carried very high leverage (including extremely elevated debt-to-equity in 2020 due to unusually low equity), which increases sensitivity to downturns and financing conditions.
Cash Flow
54
Neutral
Operating cash flow is consistently positive and has generally increased over time, which supports earnings quality and day-to-day financial flexibility. However, free cash flow is uneven: it was negative in 2023 and 2024, then turned modestly positive in 2025, implying capital spending or other cash needs have frequently absorbed operating cash. In 2025, free cash flow is low relative to net income (roughly 10%), which limits near-term capacity for debt reduction, buybacks, or aggressive reinvestment without external funding.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue1.05B994.73M927.07M876.51M758.36M
Gross Profit661.22M704.02M563.35M290.26M493.19M
EBITDA302.95M178.93M248.14M249.00M42.84M
Net Income103.08M70.24M80.13M112.90M-22.05M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets3.17B3.10B2.88B2.97B2.45B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments28.45M67.46M19.05M65.22M19.74M
Total Debt973.22M1.87B1.77B1.71B1.67B
Total Liabilities2.04B2.10B1.97B2.16B1.79B
Stockholders Equity1.13B998.35M915.03M801.13M657.15M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow30.30M-81.46M-123.47M37.59M47.59M
Operating Cash Flow285.70M248.62M204.65M229.20M173.35M
Investing Cash Flow-206.85M-199.85M-259.37M-190.13M-543.83M
Financing Cash Flow-117.96M-275.00K8.61M6.29M272.46M

Mister Car Wash Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price7.03
Price Trends
50DMA
5.85
Positive
100DMA
5.50
Positive
200DMA
5.89
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.26
Negative
RSI
75.28
Negative
STOCH
96.36
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For MCW, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 7.03 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 5.98, above the 50-day MA of 5.85, and above the 200-day MA of 5.89, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.26 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 75.28 is Negative, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 96.36 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for MCW.

Mister Car Wash Risk Analysis

Mister Car Wash disclosed 28 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Mister Car Wash reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Mister Car Wash Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
80
Outperform
$28.99B55.3838.94%1.12%11.17%9.81%
72
Outperform
$4.12B15.8291.16%11.88%18.08%
66
Neutral
$2.29B22.458.84%6.98%22.81%
65
Neutral
$11.16B21.0732.72%1.66%3.41%7.94%
61
Neutral
$18.38B12.79-2.54%3.03%1.52%-15.83%
61
Neutral
$4.01B21.1814.75%9.38%74.27%
59
Neutral
$697.83M14.2421.96%1.06%0.99%37.55%
* Consumer Cyclical Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
MCW
Mister Car Wash
7.03
-0.43
-5.76%
CSV
Carriage Services
44.86
4.58
11.38%
ROL
Rollins
61.35
10.55
20.76%
SCI
Service International
79.20
0.80
1.02%
BFAM
Bright Horizons
72.35
-52.88
-42.23%
FTDR
frontdoor
56.30
-1.02
-1.78%

Mister Car Wash Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyDelistings and Listing ChangesFinancial DisclosuresM&A TransactionsPrivate Placements and Financing
Mister Car Wash to Go Private in LGP Buyout
Positive
Feb 18, 2026

On February 17, 2026, Mister Car Wash agreed to be acquired by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners via a merger in which shareholders other than the sponsor group will receive $7.00 in cash per share, with the buyer funding the transaction in part through a committed $900 million term loan. A special committee of independent directors and the full board endorsed the deal as fair to unaffiliated investors, while LGP-affiliated principal stockholders holding about 67% of the voting power approved the merger by written consent, paving the way for a go-private transaction that will delist the stock from Nasdaq and terminate public reporting once closing conditions, including antitrust clearances and mailing of an information statement, are satisfied.

The transaction includes cash-out treatment for restricted stock units and in-the-money options, termination fee protections on both sides, and rollover agreements through which the LGP-affiliated principal stockholders will exchange a portion of their holdings for equity in the new parent entity. Announced alongside solid 2025 results, including 6% annual revenue growth to just over $1 billion, higher adjusted EBITDA and a 7% increase in Unlimited Wash Club membership to about 2.3 million, the deal caps a year of expansion to 548 locations and signals a shift from public capital markets to private ownership as management halts guidance and cancels its earnings call pending completion of the buyout.

The most recent analyst rating on (MCW) stock is a Buy with a $7.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Mister Car Wash stock, see the MCW Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Feb 20, 2026