Obermatt

AutoNation

NYQ:AN · US05329W1027
Specialty RetailX-Large

360

52
EV / EBIT59
Price / Owner Earnings49
Owner Earnings Yield74
Dividend Yield1
Price/Sales75
EV / Gross Profit52
Price/Book37
Return on Capital69
Cash Return on Capital70
Return on Equity88
EBIT Margin69
Gross Profitability75
Cash Conversion15
Accruals17
Owner Earnings Margin70
Sales growth30
Profit Growth79
Long-Term EPS Growth79
Owner Earnings Growth57
Reinvestment42
Price momentum55
Debt load22
Refinancing69
Debt Payback34
Liquidity52
Analyst ratings60
Opinion Changes87
Price Target Upside51
Market mood56
Value Creation8/20creating some value
  • Creates more value than its capital costs
  • Owner earnings growing
  • Owner earnings per share growing
  • Reinvests at strong returns
  • Solid earnings base

What this means

AutoNation clears its cost of capital, but the record is mixed across the five tests. Real value creation, just not yet consistent.

Profile

CountryUSA
IndustrySpecialty Retail
SizeX-Large
TypePublic Company
ExchangeNYSE
Founded1980
Employees5,057
ISINUS05329W1027
Last UpdateApr 2, 2026
Themes
Consumer LendingAutomotiveCustomer ServiceRetail

Description

AutoNation, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. The company’s stores include some of the most recognizable and well-known in its key markets, sell 30 different new vehicle brands. The core brands…

Analysis

Middle-of-the-road

AutoNation, Inc. is a middle-of-the-road business: neither the economics nor the price stand out from the peer group. One caution: reported profits have recently run ahead of actual cash, which we track closely.

The price is attractive. You pay 10.1× its owner earnings: the cash an owner could take out each year, which is in the historically attractive zone. At today's price, the market is assuming roughly -3% yearly growth; analysts expect 13%. The price, in other words, assumes less than the experts do.

The trajectory is moderate and the balance sheet is stretched. The company scores 8/20 on our value-creation score: creating some value.

What to watch: Some accounting patterns deserve a closer look. The financial cushion is thinner than comfortable. Some accounting patterns deserve a closer look. Reported profits have run ahead of actual cash for several periods. As always: this describes the company's numbers; it is not a recommendation.

360° rank · history

1007550250
67
2023202420252026

All-time high

74

Mar 2026

All-time low

18

Jan 2024

Average rank

54

across all years

Detailed & Historical Ranks

Deep dive into 15 detailed ranks and 3 years of history.

Current202520242023
Price/Sales
75
73
73
86
Price/Earnings
72
83
92
89
Price/Book
37
38
34
52
Dividend Yield
1
1
1
1
Value (overall)
49
46
49
73

Cells are coloured by rank band (red weak → green strong). Sentiment & 360° history begins 2023.

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Make Sense of the Ranks

Every rank runs 1–100 against true peers. Higher is always better.

360° View
1 · Watch OutGood· 100
Value
1 · ExpensiveGood Value· 100
Quality
1 · Weak FundamentalsHigh Quality· 100
Growth
1 · Tough TimesHigh Growth· 100
Safety
1 · High LeverageWell-Financed· 100
Sentiment
1 · SkepticismPositive· 100
Learn More →