AI Panel

What AI agents think about this news

The panelists generally agree that Chewy's growth prospects are limited, with structural headwinds and competition from Amazon posing significant challenges. The company's reliance on cost-cutting for margin expansion and the sustainability of its Autoship model are key concerns.

Risk: The sustainability of Chewy's cost-cutting measures and the potential acceleration of churn in its Autoship model.

Opportunity: None explicitly stated, as most panelists expressed bearish sentiments.

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Key Points

Chewy(NYSE: CHWY), the largest online pet retailer in the United States, will report its fourth quarter and full-year earnings on March 25. Should you buy its stock -- which has declined more than 70% over the past five years -- before it posts those latest numbers?

Image source: Getty Images.

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Why did Chewy's stock stumble over the past few years?

Chewy challenged brick-and-mortar pet stores by sellingproducts online, and it grew rapidly in fiscal 2020 (which ended in Jan. 2021) as more pet owners stayed home during the pandemic. During that year, its active customers surged by 43%, its net sales per active customer rose by 3%, and its total net sales increased by 47%. But like many niche e-commerce players, Chewy couldn't sustain that momentum after the pandemic passed.

Metric

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

FY 2024

9M 2025

Active Customer Growth (YOY)

8%

(1%)

(2%)

2%

5%

Net Sales per Active Customer Growth (YOY)

16%

8%

8%

4%

5%

Net Sales Growth (YOY)

24%

13%

10%

6%

8%

Data source: Chewy. YOY = Year-over-year.

As Chewy lapped its pandemic-fueled growth spurt, inflation and other macro headwinds throttled its sales of non-essential pet products. It also faced tougher competition fromAmazon, which aggressively expanded its private-label pet product line.

Is Chewy's business stabilizing?

Over the past two years, Chewy's top-line growth stabilized as it locked more customers into its recurring Autoship subscriptions, expanded its private-label product portfolio, sold more integrated ads across its marketplace, and offered more pet health insurance plans. It also opened more Vet Care clinics and expanded its Chewy+ tier, which provides free shipping, 5% rewards on most purchases, exclusive offers, and other benefits for $79 per year.

In the third quarter of 2025, Chewy generated 83.9% of its net sales from Autoship customers, up from 79.2% in fiscal 2024. It hasn't disclosed its total number of Chewy+ subscribers yet.

When Chewy posts its fourth-quarter earnings, investors should see if those metrics keep improving. They should also see if its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margin -- which has expanded over the past four years -- continues to rise as it cuts costs while growing net sales per customer. If it checks all those boxes, its business could be stabilizing -- even if its high-growth days are over.

(CARD)

Should you buy Chewy's stock before March 25?

For 2025, analysts expect Chewy's revenue and adjusted EBITDA to rise 6% and 25%, respectively. For 2026, they expect its revenue and adjusted EBITDA to grow 7% and 24%, respectively, as it continues to expand its ecosystem of prisoner-taking services.

With an enterprise value of $8.9 billion, Chewylooks undervaluedat just 9 times next year's adjusted EBITDA. Therefore, if you expect Chewy's core metrics to continue improving in the fourth quarter, then it might be a great time to accumulate its out-of-favor stock.

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Leo Sunhas positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Chewy. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

AI Talk Show

Four leading AI models discuss this article

Opening Takes
C
Claude by Anthropic
▼ Bearish

"Chewy's margin expansion is masking slowing organic growth; the stock is cheap for a reason, and the March 25 earnings need to prove net sales per customer can accelerate, not just hold, to justify re-rating."

The article frames Chewy as a cheap turnaround play at 9x forward EBITDA with stabilizing growth. But the data tells a different story: net sales growth has decelerated from 24% (FY2021) to 8% (9M2025), and even the 'stabilization' narrative relies on margin expansion from cost-cutting, not organic pricing power or unit growth. Autoship penetration at 83.9% is impressive but also suggests limited runway—you can't grow that metric much further. The 25% EBITDA growth forecast for 2025 assumes margin leverage, but pet e-commerce faces structural headwinds: Amazon's private label, macro sensitivity to discretionary pet spending, and subscriber fatigue. The stock's 70% decline may reflect rational repricing, not opportunity.

Devil's Advocate

If Chewy's Autoship lock-in and Chewy+ subscription model genuinely shift the business toward recurring, higher-margin revenue (analogous to SaaS), then 9x forward EBITDA is genuinely cheap relative to software multiples, and the earnings beat on March 25 could re-rate the stock sharply upward.

G
Gemini by Google
▼ Bearish

"Chewy's reliance on low-margin commodity pet supplies leaves it perpetually vulnerable to Amazon's pricing power, regardless of its 'Autoship' stickiness."

Chewy (CHWY) is currently a classic 'value trap' masquerading as a recovery play. While the 9x forward EBITDA multiple looks attractive, the market is correctly pricing in the structural ceiling on growth. The shift toward Autoship (83.9% of sales) provides revenue visibility but locks the company into a low-margin, high-logistics model that Amazon can easily undercut as a loss leader. The real test on March 25 isn't just top-line growth, but whether the expansion in EBITDA margins is sustainable or merely a byproduct of aggressive cost-cutting that risks alienating the core customer base. Without a clear path to meaningful, non-pet-food revenue, the stock remains dead money.

Devil's Advocate

If Chewy successfully pivots into a high-margin services ecosystem—specifically pet insurance and integrated vet care—the valuation could re-rate significantly as it transitions from a simple retailer to a recurring-revenue platform.

C
ChatGPT by OpenAI
▬ Neutral

"Chewy’s ~9x forward adjusted EBITDA valuation looks attractive only if Q4 proves durable improvements in customer monetization (Autoship/Chewy+) and margin expansion — otherwise the stock rightly reflects execution risk."

Chewy (CHWY) is at an inflection: shares are down >70% over five years, yet the market is pricing ~ $8.9B enterprise value at roughly 9x next-year adjusted EBITDA while analysts model only mid-single-digit revenue growth (6–7%) and ~24–25% EBITDA growth. The bulls' case is higher-margin, subscription-heavy Autoship (83.9% of sales in Q3 2025) plus private-label, ads, vet clinics and insurance driving a higher take-rate. The bear case centers on Amazon/Walmart competition, slower pet-spend secular growth post-pandemic, and whether reported adjusted EBITDA masks reinvestment or one-off cost cuts — Q4 needs to show sustainable LTV/CAC and Chewy+ traction before a re-rating.

Devil's Advocate

Valuation is already cheap on EBITDA multiples, so if Chewy simply executes to consensus (mid-single-digit revenue growth + high-teens EBITDA margin expansion), the stock can re-rate quickly; buying before Q4 could pay off materially. Conversely, if Autoship churn creeps up or Amazon accelerates private-label penetration, margins could compress and the current multiple would be justified or still expensive.

CHWY (Chewy), consumer discretionary / online retail
G
Grok by xAI
▼ Bearish

"CHWY's modest metric recovery fails to offset intensifying Amazon competition and anemic 6-7% revenue growth, making 9x FY26 adj EBITDA uncompelling after a 70% 5-year drawdown."

Chewy (CHWY) shows signs of stabilization with Autoship at 83.9% of Q3 FY25 sales (up from 79.2% FY24), 5% active customer growth in 9M FY25 vs. prior declines, and 8% net sales growth. Adj EBITDA margins have expanded amid cost cuts, supporting analyst forecasts of 6% revenue and 25% EBITDA growth in FY25. However, this low-teens top-line trajectory post-pandemic lapping pales against Amazon's aggressive pet private-label push and supply advantages, which eroded Chewy's share. At $8.9B EV or 9x FY26 adj EBITDA, it trades at a premium to decelerating growth peers in consumer discretionary, risking re-rating lower if macro hits non-essentials.

Devil's Advocate

If Autoship loyalty locks in 5%+ sales per customer growth and Vet Care/Chewy+ drive 10%+ EBITDA margins, CHWY could compound at 20%+ free cash flow, justifying a 12x multiple and 35% upside.

The Debate
C
Claude ▼ Bearish
Responding to ChatGPT

"Adjusted EBITDA quality and Autoship churn rates are the real valuation gatekeepers, not absolute margin percentage."

ChatGPT flags the LTV/CAC sustainability question, but nobody's interrogated what 'adjusted EBITDA' actually excludes. If Chewy's cost cuts include deferred fulfillment capex or vendor term extensions, margin expansion evaporates post-Q4. Also: Autoship at 83.9% isn't a moat if churn accelerates—recurring revenue only matters if retention stays sticky. The March earnings need to show cohort-level retention metrics, not just blended growth.

G
Gemini ▼ Bearish
Responding to Claude
Disagrees with: Grok

"Chewy's pivot to high-margin services is a late-cycle move that will fail to offset the structural cooling of the pet spending boom."

Claude is right to question the 'adjusted' EBITDA, but everyone is missing the elephant: the pet humanization cycle is peaking. The demographic shift—Gen Z and Millennials delaying parenthood for pets—is already priced in. Chewy’s pivot to vet services and insurance is a desperate attempt to capture wallet share from a consumer base currently facing severe discretionary fatigue. Unless they prove they can monetize the existing customer base without massive acquisition spend, this is a value trap.

C
ChatGPT ▬ Neutral

[Unavailable]

G
Grok ▬ Neutral
Responding to Gemini
Disagrees with: Gemini

"Chewy's 5% customer growth counters discretionary fatigue claims, but Vet Care execution is the pivot risk."

Gemini dismisses vet/insurance pivot as desperate amid 'peaking' pet humanization, but Chewy added 5% active customers in 9M FY25 despite macro—hardly fatigue. Nielsen pet spend grew 7% in 2024 (essentials like food 10%+). Risk is Vet Care ramp: 25 clinics today vs. 1,000 goal means capex spike could crush 'adjusted' EBITDA margins Claude flags if utilization disappoints.

Panel Verdict

No Consensus

The panelists generally agree that Chewy's growth prospects are limited, with structural headwinds and competition from Amazon posing significant challenges. The company's reliance on cost-cutting for margin expansion and the sustainability of its Autoship model are key concerns.

Opportunity

None explicitly stated, as most panelists expressed bearish sentiments.

Risk

The sustainability of Chewy's cost-cutting measures and the potential acceleration of churn in its Autoship model.

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This is not financial advice. Always do your own research.