Fact based stock research
AutoNation (NYSE:AN)

US05329W1027

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.

AutoNation stock research in summary

autonation.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 4 (worse than 96% compared with investment alternatives), AutoNation (Automotive Retail, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of AutoNation are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 23), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 21), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 4, is a sell recommendation based on AutoNation's financial characteristics. As the company AutoNation's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 49), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 23), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 21), 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. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to 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	49
Growth Rank	23
Safety Rank	21
Combined Rank	4

Country	USA
Industry	Automotive Retail
Index	S&P MIDCAP
Size class	XX-Large

14-Nov-2024. 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: AutoNation

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	54	73	49	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	92	91	31	23
SAFETY
SAFETY	59	38	15	21
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	9	55	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	51	18	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better AutoNation is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	54	73	49	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	92	91	31	23
SAFETY
SAFETY	59	38	15	21
COMBINED
COMBINED	87	77	9	4

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of AutoNation the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with alternatives), AutoNation shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half are above average for AutoNation. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 73, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 73% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning AutoNation's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 90% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 1 (dividends are expected to be higher than for 1% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 67% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for AutoNation to 33. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation based on AutoNation's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner on assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities, or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the low Dividend Yield is also explained as such companies tend to invest their income into market development. The other good value ranks for Sales and Profits are encouraging indicators for the stock price value. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	74	86	73	73
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	92	89	92	90
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	27	52	34	33
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	54	73	49	49

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of AutoNation; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 23 (better than 23% compared with alternatives), AutoNation 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 three out of four indicators below average for AutoNation. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 27, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 73% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 47, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 21. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 79% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 57, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 57% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for AutoNation, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. 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	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	63	59	29	27
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	56	59	39	21
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	88	30	47
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	88	75	85	57
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	92	91	31	23

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of AutoNation.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), the company AutoNation has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of AutoNation is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for AutoNation. Liquidity is at 53, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 53% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 12, 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 88% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 34, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 66% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 21 (worse than 79% compared with alternatives), AutoNation has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	29	56	28	34
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	61	16	8	12
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	66	58	58	53
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	59	38	15	21

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of AutoNation and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	28	74	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	8	40	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	39	43	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	52	46	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	9	55	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for AutoNation.
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