Sonic Automotive [SAH] vs AutoNation [AN] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Sonic Automotive Inc. wins in 7 metrics, AutoNation Inc. wins in 13 metrics, with 0 ties. AutoNation Inc. appears stronger overall.

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Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Sonic Automotive Inc. AutoNation Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 19.90 12.30 AutoNation Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 2.14 3.09 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 395.85 436.91 Sonic Automotive Inc.
PEG Ratio -1.04 9.31 AutoNation Inc.
EV/EBITDA 9.50 10.88 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 0.78% 2.35% AutoNation Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 3.33% 4.05% AutoNation Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 3.33% 4.05% AutoNation Inc.
Return on Equity 11.14% 27.06% AutoNation Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) 5.39% 6.11% AutoNation Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $417.50M $-197.50M Sonic Automotive Inc.
Dividend Yield 2.44% N/A N/A
1-Year Return 18.15% 2.10% Sonic Automotive Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.15 0.26 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Enterprise Value $6.21B $17.30B AutoNation Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.41 0.63 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 15.47% 17.53% AutoNation Inc.
Revenue per Share (TTM) $446 $735 AutoNation Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $3.42 $16.69 AutoNation Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 0.83 0.81 AutoNation Inc.
Short % of Float 22.42% 9.32% AutoNation Inc.

Sonic Automotive Inc. vs AutoNation Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Sonic Automotive Inc.-0.55%5.71%12.70%34.41%32.00%34.04%
AutoNation Inc.-0.44%-0.35%-5.71%-1.01%-7.90%-7.45%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Sonic Automotive Inc.18.15%89.45%73.46%387.15%556.76%248.17%
AutoNation Inc.2.10%34.50%92.26%287.05%457.69%775.56%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs AutoNation Inc.

MetricSAHAN
Market Information
Market Cap i$2.29B$7.05B
Market Cap CategoryMid capMid cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i264,260346,137
90 Day Avg. Volume i366,960397,586
Last Close$61.06$190.25
52 Week Range$52.00 - $89.62$176.62 - $228.92
% from 52W High-31.87%-16.89%
All-Time High$89.38 (Jul 15, 2025)$228.92 (Sep 05, 2025)
% from All-Time High-31.68%-16.89%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth-0.01%-0.04%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.20%-0.08%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.01%0.02%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.03%0.04%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.11%0.27%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i395.85436.91
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$31.81$66.51
Cash per Share (MRQ)$9.13$1.69
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$567.40M$111.90M
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$319.89M$604.23M
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i2.44%N/A
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.49$0.00

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs AutoNation Inc.

MetricSAH (Apr 13, 2026)AN (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i19.9012.30
Forward P/E i9.468.65
PEG Ratio i-1.049.31
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.150.26
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.143.09
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$2.29B$7.05B
Enterprise Value i$6.21B$17.30B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.410.63
Enterprise to EBITDA i9.5010.88
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.830.81
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$31.81$66.51

Financial Statements Comparison: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs AutoNation Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricSAH (2025)AN (2025)
Revenue/Sales i15.15B27.63B
Cost of Goods Sold i12.77B22.68B
COGS % of Revenue i84.3%82.1%
Gross Profit i2.38B4.95B
Gross Margin i15.7%17.9%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i541.30M1.31B
Operating Margin i3.6%4.7%
EBITDA i699.20M1.74B
EBITDA Margin i4.6%6.3%
Pre-Tax Income i172.80M884.50M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i1.1%3.2%
Income Tax i54.10M235.40M
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.4%0.9%
Net Income (Profit) i118.70M649.10M
Profit Margin i0.8%2.3%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricSAH (2025)AN (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i6.30M58.60M
Total Current Assets i2.83B4.65B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i18.7%16.8%
Total Current Liabilities i2.60B5.54B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i17.1%20.1%
Long-Term Debt i2.19B6.02B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i14.5%21.8%
Total Shareholders Equity i1.07B2.34B
Retained Earnings i1.48B5.98B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i9.8%21.6%
Property, Plant & Equipment i605.50M456.40M

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricSAH (2025)AN (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i368.20M-146.50M
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i2.4%-0.5%
Capital Expenditures i-68.30M-309.40M
Free Cash Flow i417.50M-197.50M
FCF Margin i2.8%-0.7%
Debt Repayment i-245.00M-2.31B
Common Stock Repurchase i-82.40M-791.60M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricSAHAN
Shares Short i2.60M2.17M
Short Ratio i6.294.69
Short % of Float i22.42%9.32%
Shares Outstanding i33.58M35.20M
Float Shares i13.83M32.63M
% Held by Insiders i35.89%1.51%
% Held by Institutions i71.30%99.36%
% Held by Public i-7.19%-0.87%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs AutoNation Inc.

MetricSAHAN
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.49$0.00
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i2.44%N/A
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$1.32$0.00
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.56%N/A
3-Year Total Dividends i$3.97$0.00
Ex-Dividend DateMar 13, 2026N/A