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Analyzing the stock…
70
Gathering technical, fundamental, and market data — a few seconds
Consumer Discretionary · ·
$168.29
▼ $6.59 (-3.8%)
Market data updated: 09/20 12:03 PM
Fundamentals updated: 09/19/2026
News analyzed: 09/20/2026
Market Cap
$5.56B
Day Range
$167.10 - $174.74
52-Week Range
$167.05 - $235.81
Beta
—
Next Earnings
21.10.2026
Support
$167.05
Resistance
$235.81
AN is a stock from the Consumer Cyclical sector — Retail, automotive, and leisure — demand rises and falls with economic sentiment and consumers' disposable income.
-23.9% (1Y)
Strengths: 4/29 factors positiveRisk: High
This score and all analysis on this page are for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. Read the full disclaimer
Weighted: Technical 25% · Fundamental 20% · Growth 15% · Valuation 15% · News 10% · Quality 10% · Risk 5%
Overall Score
🔴 Bearish
Technical Trend
🔴 Bearish
Insiders
🔴 Bearish
Computed directly from the same signals behind the score above — not AI-generated.
Biggest positive driver
Operating margin stability
Operating margin is stable or improving over time
Quality
Biggest negative driver
DCF Fair Value
Estimated fair value: -$78.61 vs. price $168.29 (-146.7%)
Fair Value
What to watch next
When today echoes the past.
NO RELIABLE ECHO FOUND
Only 2 historical analog(s) found after removing overlapping dates — too few for a statistically meaningful comparison.
Historical matches considered: 2
TIME ECHO identifies historical situations that resemble the current market state. Historical outcomes are not guarantees of future performance. Similarity does not imply causation, and results may change as new data becomes available.
🗓️ What Changed This Week
🌱 Building History
We don't have a real data point from a week ago for this stock yet. The weekly comparison will appear once enough history has accumulated.
📊 Score History
37
Today
—
30D
—
90D
—
1Y
🕰️ Signal Timeline
What StockIQ actually saw for this stock, and what happened after each signal — real data, not a forecast.
today · $168.29
Evidence: Narrative Gap moved from 29 to -3 day-over-day
What happened after
Still awaiting outcome
today · $168.29
Evidence: Panic-selling score jumped from 5 to 58 day-over-day
What happened after
Still awaiting outcome
🐂🐻 Investment Thesis
🐂 Bull Case
🐻 Bear Case
🔍 What Could Prove This Wrong
This isn't a price-direction forecast — just a synthesis of real, already-computed data, and future conditions that could change the picture.
🧬 STOCK DNA
This stock's profile across 8 real dimensions — a research tool, not a recommendation
Growth
42
Quality
58
Value
43
Momentum
10
Risk
26
Sentiment
62
Fundamental
44
Institutional
0
Stocks with a similar DNA right now
This stock hasn't been analyzed by StockIQAI's movement engine yet — coverage is still expanding. Check back soon.
Recent media coverage of AutoNation, Inc. has focused on its financial performance and market positioning amid industry challenges. Analysts highlight its strong aftersales profits, growing finance earnings, and aggressive stock buybacks as supportive factors, despite concerns over high debt and shrinking new-vehicle margins. Additionally, broader industry reports warn that major franchise dealers—including AutoNation—could face earnings pressure in 2027 if economic conditions worsen. The company’s stock is being weighed against peers like Carvana and CarMax in discussions about risk appetite and valuation.
AI summary based on English-language news sources only — not investment advice.
Everyone's writing about AutoNation, Inc.. News trend score: 62. Reason: 8 of the last 20 articles are positive, versus 6 negative.
News trend analysis is based on article sentiment only, and is not investment advice or financial counsel. Read the full disclaimer
🌡️ Emotional Temperature
48
🎯 Conviction (vs. Emotion)
40
Psychology
85
Fundamentals
44
Technical
10
Valuation
43
The price is holding at a real, documented historical support/resistance level (a 50-day high or low).
A sharp drop, unusual volume, and negative news sentiment all at once — selling pressure that looks emotional.
Price, volume, and sentiment accelerating together — a sign investors are chasing the price, not just following it.
A significant decline over time, but on unusually low trading volume — holders unwilling to accept the loss.
The stock is moving in lockstep with its peers at the same intensity, rather than on its own data.
Price (3M)
-11%
Market Narrative
37
Fundamental Reality
40
Narrative Gap
-3
🔀 Psychology Acceleration
News attention/sentiment is running well ahead of the price move itself.
🧠 StockIQ Psychologist
The market behavior for AN suggests a dominant FOMO-driven rally, supported by strong momentum, elevated volume, and extreme positive sentiment. Euphoria is also present, as the stock trades well above its 200-day average with overbought conditions. Overconfidence may be active, given the disconnect between price gains and stagnant earnings growth. The key question is whether this momentum can sustain itself or if the narrative-reality gap (31 points) will eventually correct. The absence of panic or herding signals reinforces the speculative, momentum-driven nature of the current trend.
Updated: 09/08/2026, 10:06 PM
What could change this?
👥 What the crowd believes
"AN's record aftersales profits, growing finance earnings"
"share repurchases support AN despite high debt"
"Major US franchise auto dealers could face earnings pressure next year"
"AutoNation’s share price return has been strongest over the last 90 days at 15.1%"
🧠 Market Brain events driving this
📈 8D Investor Psychology
Signal classification confidence: High (confidence in the behavioral read, not a price prediction). Describes observable market behavior, not what any individual investor thinks, and is not a buy/sell signal.
🏛️ Investor DNA — Historical Investors
A Historical Strategy Simulation: assuming each investor follows their documented principles, how would they rate this stock today? This is not a prediction of what they would actually do.
🟢 Best match
Samuel Armstrong Nelson — 100/100
🔴 Weakest match
Morgan Housel — 0/100
🗣️ Why do they disagree?
The stark divide in verdicts for this stock reflects deep philosophical and tactical contrasts among the methodologies. Burton Malkiel and John Bogle’s efficient-market approach cautiously endorses a slight deviation from the index, suggesting the stock’s fundamentals or momentum might justify a niche allocation—unlike the overwhelmingly bearish signals from Graham, Loeb, or Nelson, who prioritize defensive metrics, risk control, or cycle timing. Meanwhile, Fisher and Lynch’s growth-focused frameworks dismiss it outright, while Mackay’s crowd psychology lens flags speculative excitement, contrasting sharply with Schwager’s disciplined trading wizards, who see no technical setup. The middle ground—Veblen’s mixed signals or Marks’ valuation caution—highlights a stock that may appeal to passive indexers but alarms those who stress stability, liquidity, or structural risk.
Samuel Armstrong Nelson
The ABC of Stock Speculation (1903)
🟢 100
Cycle position looks favorable — closer to oversold than overbought
Key question
Is the price overextended, or is there still room to move?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Charles Mackay
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841)
🟢 95
No obvious signs of crowd mania
Key question
Am I being swept along with the crowd, or thinking for myself?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Howard Marks (Market Cycle)
Mastering the Market Cycle (2018)
🟢 82
Looks early-to-mid cycle, not overextended
Key question
Where are we in the cycle right now — near a hot extreme, or a cold one?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Jack Schwager
Market Wizards (1989)
🟢 68
A real, disciplined setup with favorable reward/risk
Key question
What's the risk/reward here, and where is my exit point?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Howard Marks
The Most Important Thing (2011) / Mastering the Market Cycle (2018)
🟡 59
Mixed — a good business, but expectations may already be high
Key question
What is the market probably misunderstanding about the risk here?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Benjamin Graham
Security Analysis (1934) / The Intelligent Investor (1949)
🟡 46
Mixed — doesn't clearly pass Graham's tests
Key question
Where is my margin of safety?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Thorstein Veblen
The Theory of Business Enterprise (1904)
🟡 46
Mixed signal on whether growth translates to real profit
Key question
Is management building real value, or just building itself?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Edgar Lawrence Smith
Common Stocks as Long-Term Investments (1924)
🔴 35
Doesn't show the stability Smith's long-term case requires
Key question
Is this a stock I'd be happy to hold and forget about for a decade?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Burton Malkiel & John Bogle
A Random Walk Down Wall Street (1973) / The Little Book of Common Sense Investing (2007)
🔴 32
Weak case — Malkiel/Bogle would say a low-cost index is the simpler bet
Key question
Do I actually have an edge here, or do I just think I do?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Philip Fisher
Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits (1958)
🔴 25
Doesn't show the quality/growth signature Fisher required
Key question
How exceptional is this business, really?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Benjamin Graham (Enterprising Investor)
The Intelligent Investor (1949) — the Enterprising Investor chapters
🔴 24
Not statistically cheap enough for the Enterprising Investor's looser safety bar
Key question
Is the stock statistically cheap enough to justify the extra risk?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Jesse Livermore
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (1923) / How to Trade in Stocks (1940)
🔴 17
Negative trend — against Livermore's core rule of trading with the trend
Key question
What is the price telling me right now?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Walter Bagehot
Lombard Street (1873)
🔴 16
Liquidity position Bagehot would flag as a real risk
Key question
Does this company have enough liquidity to survive real stress?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Peter Lynch
One Up on Wall Street (1989)
🔴 15
Doesn't clear Lynch's growth-at-a-reasonable-price bar
Key question
Is the growth worth the price?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Gerald M. Loeb
The Battle for Investment Survival (1935)
🔴 13
Risk profile Loeb would flag as a real threat to capital
Key question
How much capital could I lose here if I'm wrong?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Morgan Housel
The Psychology of Money (2020)
🔴 0
The kind of volatility that tends to shake patient holders out
Key question
Could I live with this volatility long enough for compounding to actually work?
Fact → Principle → Simulation
Based on the last 280 trading days, calculated from real price data. Click an indicator for details and a chart.
🔴 Most indicators support a downtrend (0 bullish · 10 bearish · 1 neutral)
A market-structure read based purely on real price and volume data — not full classic Wyckoff schematic identification (Phase A-E), but a quantitative analysis of what can reliably be computed: trading ranges, "effort vs. result", volume within the range, and Spring/Upthrust detection.
The stock is in a clear downtrend with no defined trading range in the period examined.
Medium confidence
The Wyckoff Method, developed by Richard Wyckoff in the early 20th century, reads the balance of supply and demand through price and volume, based on the premise that large investors ("smart money") quietly accumulate shares before rallies and quietly distribute them before declines. The read here is based solely on real price and volume data — full, precise identification of classic Wyckoff patterns (such as Phases A-E) requires human chart-reading experience and judgment, so this is an approximate algorithmic read, not a substitute for professional analysis. This should not be considered investment advice.
Gross Margin
17.9%
Operating Margin
4.5%
Net Margin
2.3%
EBITDA Margin
4.5%
ROE
27.7%
ROA
4.5%
ROIC
—
EPS
$17.26
Cash
$58.60M
Total Debt
—
Current Ratio
0.84
Debt/Equity
—
How is Fair Value calculated? →
Current Price
$168.29
Estimated Fair Value (DCF)
-$78.61
Model estimate — not a price target. Highly sensitive to growth/discount-rate assumptions.
Gap
-146.7%
🔴 Appears expensive relative to estimated value
Year 1 Growth Rate
0.8%
Discount Rate (WACC)
9.0%
Terminal Growth Rate
2.5%
Projection Years
5
| Year | Growth Rate | Projected FCF | Present Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.8% | $-199.09M | $-182.65M |
| 2 | 1.2% | $-201.54M | $-169.63M |
| 3 | 1.7% | $-204.88M | $-158.20M |
| 4 | 2.1% | $-209.13M | $-148.15M |
| 5 | 2.5% | $-214.36M | $-139.32M |
Base FCF (last actual year)
$-197.50M
Terminal Value
$-3.38B
Present Value of Terminal Value
$-2.20B
Enterprise Value
$-2.99B
Net Debt
$0
Equity Value
$-2.99B
*The DCF model is an estimate based on assumptions — not a guaranteed forecast. You can change the assumptions to examine different scenarios.
Book Value per Share
$61.45
Tangible Book Value per Share (Tangible NAV)
-$2.55
Sentiment based on basic keywords (not AI) — 8 positive, 6 neutral, 6 negative out of the last 20 articles.
SeekingAlpha · 18.9.2026
Yahoo · 18.9.2026
Yahoo · 18.9.2026
Benzinga · 18.9.2026
Benzinga · 17.9.2026
SeekingAlpha · 17.9.2026
Yahoo · 15.9.2026
Yahoo · 9.9.2026
Business Wire · 9.9.2026
Yahoo · 31.8.2026
Trefis · 31.8.2026
Yahoo · 27.8.2026
Zacks · 27.8.2026
Yahoo · 25.8.2026
24/7 Wall St. · 25.8.2026
Yahoo · 18.8.2026
24/7 Wall St. · 18.8.2026
Yahoo · 17.8.2026
MT Newswires · 17.8.2026
Yahoo · 16.8.2026
AutoNation, Inc. (AN) currently has a StockIQ AI score of 37/100, rated "Weak". The score is a weighted average across up to 7 categories (technical, fundamental, growth, fair value, news, quality, risk), based on real data only.
AN currently scores 37/100 (Weak) across the categories we measure. StockIQ doesn't give buy/sell recommendations — use this as one data point in your own research, not as investment advice.
Per StockIQ's DCF model, AN's estimated fair value is -$78.61, which is 146.7% below the current price of $168.29. This is one valuation model among several signals in the fair-value category, not a price target.
AN's technical score is 10/100, which currently reads as bearish — based on real price/volume signals (moving averages, RSI, MACD, and more), not a prediction of what happens next.
Based on the real signals StockIQ computed: Operating margin is stable or improving over time; Return on equity (ROE): 27.7% — strong; P/E: 9.9.
Based on the real signals StockIQ computed: Estimated fair value: -$78.61 vs. price $168.29 (-146.7%); ATR: 4.9% of price; Current ratio: 0.84.
StockIQ has no recorded dividend payment history for AN.
Real transactions by officers and insiders, as reported to the SEC on Form 4 — 0 purchases and 4 sales out of the last 25 filings.
| Name | Transaction Type | Date | Shares | Change | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Szlosek Thomas A | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 7.8.2026 | 3,194 | -3,194 | — |
| Szlosek Thomas A | Tax Withholding in Shares | 7.8.2026 | 1,257 | -1,257 | $209.23 |
| Szlosek Thomas A | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 7.8.2026 | 3,194 | +3,194 | — |
| Szlosek Thomas A | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 7.8.2026 | 0 | -3,194 | — |
| Szlosek Thomas A | Tax Withholding in Shares | 7.8.2026 | 18,437 | -1,257 | $209.23 |
| Szlosek Thomas A | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 7.8.2026 | 19,694 | +3,194 | — |
| Lutoff-Perlo Lisa | Open Market Sale | 5.8.2026 | 900 | -900 | $220.00 |
| Lutoff-Perlo Lisa | Open Market Sale | 5.8.2026 | 7,989 | -900 | $220.00 |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Open Market Sale | 5.5.2026 | 2,500 | -2,500 | $204.91 |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Open Market Sale | 5.5.2026 | 1,456 | -2,500 | $204.91 |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 1,520 | -1,520 | — |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.3.2026 | 4,144 | +4,144 | — |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 1,754 | -1,754 | — |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 1,943 | -1,943 | — |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Tax Withholding in Shares | 1.3.2026 | 2,055 | -2,055 | $195.16 |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 1,520 | +1,520 | — |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 1,754 | +1,754 | — |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.3.2026 | 829 | +829 | — |
| CAMPLONE GIANLUCA | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 1,943 | +1,943 | — |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 304 | -304 | — |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 351 | -351 | — |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 389 | -389 | — |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 416 | -416 | — |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Tax Withholding in Shares | 1.3.2026 | 577 | -577 | $195.16 |
| DEES KIMBERLY | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.3.2026 | 304 | +304 | — |
Official FINRA data — the number of shares open in short positions, plus daily short-sale activity.
2,235,374 shares short as of 2026-08-31 · vs. 2,005,935 on 2026-07-31
Official biweekly report (FINRA Rule 4560) — no real higher-frequency data exists for this metric.
75.7% of trading volume this week was short selling, vs. 78.4% the prior week
Based on daily short-sale volume (Reg SHO) — a different metric from the open short interest above: this is daily trading volume, not an open position, so it updates weekly rather than biweekly.
Full breakdown of every data type and its source: Data Sources · Methodology