Fact based stock research
Auto Trader Group (LSE:AUTO)

GB00BVYVFW23

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Auto Trader Group stock research in summary

plc.autotrader.co.uk

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 15 (worse than 85% compared with investment alternatives), Auto Trader Group (Interactive Media & Services, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Auto Trader Group are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 21 (worse than 79% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 19) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 83), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 15, is a sell recommendation based on Auto Trader Group's financial characteristics. As the company Auto Trader Group's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 21) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 19), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 83) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	21
Growth Rank	19
Safety Rank	83
Combined Rank	15

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Interactive Media & Services
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, SDG 10, SDG 13, SDG 5, SDG 8
Size class	Small

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Auto Trader Group

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	31	21	25	21
GROWTH
GROWTH	77	73	81	19
SAFETY
SAFETY	77	75	82	83
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	35	41	45	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	67	55	67	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Auto Trader Group is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	31	21	25	21
GROWTH
GROWTH	77	73	81	19
SAFETY
SAFETY	77	75	82	83
COMBINED
COMBINED	84	77	84	15

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Auto Trader Group the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 21 (worse than 79% compared with alternatives), Auto Trader Group shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Auto Trader Group. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 56% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 7 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 93% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Auto Trader Group's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 37 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 63% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 10 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 90% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 21, is a sell recommendation based on Auto Trader Group's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Auto Trader Group? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Auto Trader Group only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	7	5	7	7
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	54	34	46	37
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	20	17	12	10
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	61	55	53	56
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	31	21	25	21

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Auto Trader Group; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 19 (better than 19% compared with alternatives), Auto Trader Group shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for Auto Trader Group. Sales Growth has a rank of 39, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 61% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 45, and Capital Growth with 4. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 49, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 51% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 19, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	26	40	53	39
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	75	56	57	45
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	63	78	82	4
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	81	73	55	49
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	77	73	81	19

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Auto Trader Group.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company Auto Trader Group has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Auto Trader Group is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Auto Trader Group. Leverage is at a rank of 90, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 90% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 91, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 91% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 27, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 73% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives), Auto Trader Group has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Auto Trader Group. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Auto Trader Group and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	75	68	80	90
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	23	35	31	27
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	79	85	89	91
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	77	75	82	83

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Auto Trader Group and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	24	17	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	74	32	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	96	60	97	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	20	31	45	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	35	41	45	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Auto Trader Group.
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