AutoNation (AN)
Consumer Discretionary · Automotive Retail · NYSE
AutoNation is one of America's largest automotive retailers, providing a full-service platform for new and used vehicle sales, parts, maintenance, and vehicle financing.
What AutoNation does
AutoNation is a leading automotive retailer in the United States, offering a comprehensive range of automotive products and services. The company operates hundreds of new vehicle franchises and collision centers, providing new and used vehicle sales, vehicle maintenance and repair services, and finance and insurance (F&I) products. Additionally, the company is engaged in vehicle financing through its captive finance operations.
Themes: automotive retail, automotive finance, vehicle maintenance and repair
Fundamentals
- Price$199.49 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$6.6B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return-5.1% 2025-08-21 close $210.31 → 2026-08-21 close $199.49
- P/E8.86 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+2.8% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+17.8% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+33.2% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity4.83 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)-0.1% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+0.8% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.80 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-31 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How AN compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiobottom 10% 266 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginbottom 25% 331 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitytop 25% 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 325 covered Consumer Discretionary peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)bottom 10% 311 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Consumer Discretionary companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
AN is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Long-term score
Not scored for the long-term list: no shareholder return data.
Short-term score
40.3 #1393 of 1,704 scored · #141 of 186 in Consumer Discretionary
Setup 55th: over the past year its closes ranged, and it has retraced a bit over half of its move over the past year — 59% of it; momentum 45th: near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold); weakest is volume and participation 26th: it gapped 3.5% below the previous close and has not traded back through the level it left behind — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed.
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
How AutoNation looks technically
AutoNation (AN) is trading 0.9% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 111 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 14, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 43, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day low about 4 trading days ago. It is 15.4% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 0.9% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -0.9% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $200.61 | $200.61 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $201.22 | $201.22 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 21 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 21 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes below 195.09. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible upward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 111 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal | 111 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 14, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 13.5 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 43, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 42.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the bottom of its 14-day range ($196.81 to $221.13) — its "stochastic" reading is 11 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 11.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 12 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $235.81 | $235.81 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 15.4% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -15.4% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 12.9% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +12.9% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 15.4% below its highest point of the past year | 15.4% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 4 trading days ago | 4 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 18 trading days ago | 18 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $235.81 (set on 2026-07-29) | $235.81 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($178.59 to $229.98), and it has given back a bit over half of its rise from last year’s low — 59% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $196.58 to $198.22. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 59.3% |
| From the all-time high | it is 15.4% below its all-time high | -15.4% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 0.5% above a support level at $198.48 — a price it turned at three times since 2025-02-11, most recently on 2026-06-16. Since 2024-08-21 it has 10 such levels below the current price and 4 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.5% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $3.97 (set on 2008-10-24) | $3.97 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 4924.9% above its all-time low | +4,925% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are wider than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (wider than about 79% of it) | 79th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $6.63 between its high and its low — about 3.3% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $6.63 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $194.99 and $225.20 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $194.99 – $210.09 – $225.20 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.3% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.3% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 0.3 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (0.9% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 0.3 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.71× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 0.4% since the prior reading | +0.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Price gaps
2
| Open gap | it gapped 3.5% below the previous close 16 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 229.98 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | -3.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 7.7% gap down opened on 2026-07-31 has been "filled" 14 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 14 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed lower 2 sessions in a row, a -0.51% move over the run — an unbroken run of down days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 2 sessions down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 1.8 percentage points (the stock gained 0.5% while the market gained 2.3%) | -1.8% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 3.9 percentage points (the stock gained 7.0% while the market gained 3.1%) | +3.9% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 12.0 percentage points (the stock lost 1.0% while the market gained 11.1%) | -12.1% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 25.6 percentage points (the stock lost 5.1% while the market gained 20.5%) | -25.6% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold), trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 4 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day, trading below its 200-day average, MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 4 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 1.1% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is thin, spanning 0.4% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that gives way easily. | +1.1% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 1% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $201.12 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -0.8% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 5% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-31 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $209.32 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 16 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -4.7% |
Price levels it has turned at before
AN last closed at $199.49 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 10 prices below its last close and 4 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $198.48 | Support | 0.5% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-02-11 to 2026-06-16 |
| $202.57 | Resistance | 1.6% above the last close | turned there three times · 2025-12-18 to 2026-02-02 |
| $194.37 | Support | 2.6% below the last close | turned there five times · 2025-05-13 to 2026-07-31 |
| $189.08 | Support | 5.2% below the last close | turned there five times · 2025-01-21 to 2026-04-06 |
| $210.63 | Resistance | 5.6% above the last close | turned there six times · 2025-07-25 to 2026-07-16 |
| $216.82 | Resistance | 8.7% above the last close | turned there five times · 2025-07-10 to 2026-05-01 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $195.09.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $237.99 and $264.50 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close below $195.09.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · At the bottom of its 14-day range (stochastic below 20) · Near the golden pocket (has given back about two thirds of its 52-week move) · Trading at this year’s average price paid (anchored VWAP) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (1.79 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 13 analysts
- Mean price target$246.69 range $210.00 – $300.00; median $248.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-17. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for AN
- Consensus EPS estimate$5.71 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-17
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Dependence on new vehicle manufacturer production, brand popularity, and supply chain stability.","Exposure to fluctuations in consumer demand, economic conditions, and interest rates.","Risks associated with captive auto lending, including credit risk and interest rate volatility."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of AN's 10-Q filed 2026-05-01 against the prior one filed 2025-10-23.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing notes that core brands represent approximately 88% of new vehicles sold during Q1 2026 (vs. 89% during nine months ended Sept 30, 2025 in older filing)
- Newer filing states AutoNation USA used vehicle stores decreased to 25 as of March 31, 2026 (older filing showed 26 as of September 30, 2025)
- Newer filing reports new vehicle franchises increased to 324 as of March 31, 2026 (older filing showed 323 as of September 30, 2025)
- Newer filing includes discussion of Q1 2026 results with net income of $205.4 million and diluted EPS of $5.85
- Newer filing describes tariff impacts as 'could indirectly increase our costs' and notes 'While we have not observed a meaningful increase in our costs or other adverse impacts as a result of such tariffs to date'
- Newer filing references after-tax gain of $40.8 million from changes in fair value of minority equity investments in Q1 2026
- Newer filing reports new vehicle inventory units at March 31, 2026 were 42,440 (vs. 39,300 in prior year comparison)
- Newer filing reports used vehicle inventory units at March 31, 2026 were 32,615 (vs. 34,281 in prior year comparison)
- Newer filing states new vehicle gross profit write-downs of $0.6 million at March 31, 2026 and $1.2 million at December 31, 2025
- Removed:
- Older filing's statement about 'Certain reclassifications of amounts previously reported have been made' is absent from newer filing
- Older filing's discussion of Q3 2025 results with net income of $215.1 million and diluted EPS of $5.65 is not in newer filing
- Older filing's discussion of third quarter 2025 U.S. industry retail new vehicle unit sales increasing 5% is replaced with Q1 2026 decrease of 8%
- Older filing's discussion of EV tax credits phasing out through end of Q3 2025 is not present in newer filing
- Older filing's discussion of 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act provisions is not included in newer filing
- Older filing's reference to CDK outage insurance recovery gains of $30.2 million is absent from newer filing
- Older filing's reference to acquisition-related expenses of $6.0 million is not in newer filing
- Reworded:
- Newer filing reports revenue percentages for Q1 2026 (new vehicles 46%, used vehicles 30%, parts and service 19%, finance and insurance 5%) differ from nine-month period in older filing (new vehicles 49%, used vehicles 29%, parts and service 17%, finance and insurance 5%)
- Newer filing reports gross profit contributions for Q1 2026 (new vehicles 12%, used vehicles 10%, parts and service 49%, finance and insurance 29%) differ from nine-month period in older filing (new vehicles 14%, used vehicles 10%, parts and service 47%, finance and insurance 29%)
- Newer filing describes tariff language as 'could indirectly increase our costs' whereas older filing stated tariffs 'could increase our costs and/or consumer prices'
- Newer filing's market conditions section discusses Q1 2026 decreased industry sales 'primarily due to accelerated consumer demand in the later part of March 2025 following tariff-related announcements, as well as consumer caution' replacing older filing's Q3 2025 discussion of increased sales due to EV tax credits acceleration
- Newer filing states parts and service gross profit increased 5% in Q1 2026; older filing stated 7% increase in Q3 2025
- Newer filing's gross profit analysis cites 'shift in mix away from Premium Luxury vehicles' whereas older filing cited 'shift in mix toward hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles'
- Newer filing references 'after-tax loss of $8.7 million related to changes in fair value of a minority equity investment' for Q1 2025 comparison period
- Notes:
- The two filings cover different reporting periods (Q1 2026 vs. nine months/Q3 2025), which accounts for some variations in narrative focus and metrics
- Older filing appears truncated at end ('benefited from an a'), making full comparison of final sections unavailable
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 30 days0 buys · 1 sell ($198000) — 1 selling insider
- Last 90 days0 buys · 1 sell ($198000) — 1 selling insider
- Last 180 days0 buys · 2 sells ($710263) — 2 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-08-05. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about AN's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
6 institutional 13F filers reported holding AN as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 6
- Reported shares held 3,855,293
- Reported value $752,784,442
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 1 new, 1 increased, 4 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
AN had 2,005,935 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
AN had 6.07% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 4.02 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 2,005,935
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 6.07%
- Prior settlement (shares) 2,536,204
- Reported change -20.91%
- Days to cover (reported) 4.02
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Group 1 Automotive (GPI)
- Lithia Motors (LAD)
- Asbury Automotive Group (ABG)
- Penske Automotive Group (PAG)
- Sonic Automotive (SAH)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare AN vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does AutoNation (AN) do?
AutoNation is a leading automotive retailer in the United States, offering a comprehensive range of automotive products and services. The company operates hundreds of new vehicle franchises and collision centers, providing new and used vehicle sales, vehicle maintenance and repair services, and finance and insurance (F&I) products. Additionally, the company is engaged in vehicle financing through its captive finance operations.
What sector is AutoNation (AN) in?
AutoNation (AN) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Its industry is Automotive Retail. It trades on NYSE.
Who are AutoNation's (AN) competitors?
Notable peers of AutoNation (AN) include Group 1 Automotive, Lithia Motors, Asbury Automotive Group, Penske Automotive Group and Sonic Automotive. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is AutoNation (AN) overbought or oversold right now?
AutoNation (AN) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 43, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on AN come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.