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AN vs SAH
Which Stock Would AI Choose? AutoNation (AN) vs. Sonic Automotive (SAH) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- AN commands a larger market capitalization of approximately $7.3 billion compared to SAH's $2.4 billion, reflecting greater scale in the automotive retail sector.
- SAH has delivered stronger year-to-date returns at 16.77%, outperforming AN's 1.48% amid recent market activity.
- AN trades at a lower trailing P/E ratio of 12.3 versus SAH's 21.0, suggesting relatively better valuation metrics.
- Both stocks operate in the consolidating auto retail industry, facing headwinds from high interest rates and potential tariffs but benefiting from mega-dealer growth trends.
- Recent sentiment shows mixed signals, with AN highlighted in positive industry outlooks and SAH facing bearish notes on margins.
Introduction
AN and SAH are prominent players in the U.S. automotive retail sector, operating extensive networks of dealerships amid industry consolidation and evolving consumer dynamics. This comparison analyzes their business models, recent stock performance, and market positioning, offering insights for traders eyeing consumer discretionary opportunities and investors tracking auto sector relative performance. With macroeconomic pressures like elevated interest rates impacting vehicle financing, understanding these stocks' resilience and growth drivers is key for informed decision-making in the current market environment.
AN Overview and Recent Performance
AutoNation (AN), Inc. is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, managing over 300 locations across new and used vehicle sales, financing, and aftermarket services. In recent market activity, AN shares have shown resilience, trading around $210 with a 52-week range of $155 to $229. Year-to-date gains stand at about 1.5%, reflecting steady performance despite broader sector challenges. Sentiment has been bolstered by strong used vehicle segment profits and positive analyst coverage on industry consolidation, where mega-dealers like AN gain market share from smaller independents. Headwinds from higher financing costs and tariff discussions have tempered momentum, yet the stock's low P/E ratio of 12.3 underscores attractive valuation relative to earnings.
SAH Overview and Recent Performance
Sonic Automotive (SAH), Inc. operates as a multi-brand automotive retailer with dealerships and EchoPark used-car stores, emphasizing both new vehicle sales and digital retail innovations. Recently, SAH shares have traded near $72, within a 52-week range of $54 to $90. The stock has outperformed peers year-to-date with 16.8% returns, driven by robust quarterly results and optimistic executive commentary on growth potential. Recent weeks saw volatility, including bearish notes on margin compression from elevated prices and rates, yet the company secured financing and highlighted endless upside in consolidation trends. Trading at a P/E of 21.0, SAH reflects higher growth expectations amid these dynamics.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
Both AN and SAH thrive in automotive retail, with business models centered on vehicle sales, service, and financing, but AN's larger scale provides broader geographic exposure and purchasing power advantages over SAH's focused multi-brand approach. Growth drivers differ: SAH leverages EchoPark for used-car momentum, while AN emphasizes integrated services. Recent momentum favors SAH on YTD basis, but AN offers superior stability with lower volatility. Risk factors like interest rate sensitivity and tariff risks are shared, though SAH's smaller size amplifies exposure. Market sentiment leans positive for mega-dealers in consolidation plays, positioning both favorably yet highlighting AN's valuation edge.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron's AI tools would likely favor AN in the current environment, given its consistent trends, lower P/E valuation, larger market cap for stability, and stronger positioning amid auto retail consolidation. While SAH exhibits higher short-term momentum, AN's relative value and catalyst resilience suggest greater probability of outperformance over coming periods, based on observable metrics like earnings stability and sector dynamics.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is AN is a StrongBuy and SAH is a StrongBuy.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
AN’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileSAH’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- AN’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- SAH’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
AN’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while SAH’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- AN’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- SAH’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
AN (@Automotive Aftermarket) experienced а 0.00% price change this week, while SAH (@Automotive Aftermarket) price change was -0.56% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Automotive Aftermarket industry was -3.70%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -4.79%, and the average quarterly price growth was -22.49%.
Reported Earning Dates
AN is expected to report earnings on Jul 16, 2026.
SAH is expected to report earnings on Jul 23, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Automotive Aftermarket (-3.70% weekly)The Automotive Aftermarket consists of the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of vehicle parts and accessories, after the sale of the automobile by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to the consumer. The aftermarket parts many not be manufactured by the OEM. According to a Technavio study, the US automotive parts aftermarket size is estimated to grow by USD 24.33 billion during 2018-2022 (CAGR 3%). Like many other industries, the automotive aftermarket is also being intensely penetrated by the digital boom. The online auto parts sales market is predicted to exceed $13B by 2020 (according to a study by Mirakl).
| AN | SAH | AN / SAH | |
| Capitalization | 6.28B | 2.6B | 242% |
| EBITDA | 1.64B | 525M | 311% |
| Gain YTD | -9.086 | 33.653 | -27% |
| P/E Ratio | 10.18 | 25.92 | 39% |
| Revenue | 27.5B | 15.2B | 181% |
| Total Cash | 65.5M | 5.7M | 1,149% |
| Total Debt | 10.5B | 4.43B | 237% |
AN | SAH | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 24 | 37 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 71 Overvalued | 12 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 30 | 40 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 34 | 68 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 61 | 41 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 59 | 6 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 65 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
SAH's Valuation (12) in the Specialty Stores industry is somewhat better than the same rating for AN (71). This means that SAH’s stock grew somewhat faster than AN’s over the last 12 months.
AN's Profit vs Risk Rating (30) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as SAH (40). This means that AN’s stock grew similarly to SAH’s over the last 12 months.
AN's SMR Rating (34) in the Specialty Stores industry is somewhat better than the same rating for SAH (68). This means that AN’s stock grew somewhat faster than SAH’s over the last 12 months.
SAH's Price Growth Rating (41) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as AN (61). This means that SAH’s stock grew similarly to AN’s over the last 12 months.
SAH's P/E Growth Rating (6) in the Specialty Stores industry is somewhat better than the same rating for AN (59). This means that SAH’s stock grew somewhat faster than AN’s over the last 12 months.
| AN | SAH | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 90% | 3 days ago 73% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 72% | 3 days ago 68% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 70% | 3 days ago 74% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 78% | 3 days ago 72% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 69% | 3 days ago 70% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 61% | 3 days ago 70% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 68% | 6 days ago 72% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 61% | 26 days ago 70% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 77% | 6 days ago 66% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 56% | 3 days ago 64% |
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| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| SBU | 17.34 | 0.35 | +2.08% |
| Leverage Shares 2X Long SBUX Daily ETF | |||
| GMUB | 51.25 | -0.07 | -0.14% |
| Goldman Sachs Municipal Income ETF | |||
| PBP | 22.68 | -0.23 | -1.00% |
| Invesco S&P 500 BuyWrite ETF | |||
| AVNV | 82.64 | -2.93 | -3.42% |
| Avantis All International Mkts Val ETF | |||
| COWG | 38.01 | -1.53 | -3.86% |
| Pacer US Large Cp CA Cows Gr Ldrs ETF | |||
SAH and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, SAH has been closely correlated with PAG. These tickers have moved in lockstep 72% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if SAH jumps, then PAG could also see price increases.