AutoNation, Inc. (AN) Stock Analysis
Falling Knife setup
Consumer Cyclical · Auto & Truck Dealerships
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $181.94: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.4/10 and A.R:R 1.9:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 1.35; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum.
AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the U.S., operating 245 stores with 323 new vehicle franchises selling 30 brands, concentrated in Sunbelt markets; Florida, Texas, and California together represent 65% of revenue. The company earns from new/used vehicle... Read more
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $181.94: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.4/10 and A.R:R 1.9:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 1.35; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 32, MACD bearish. Score 5.4/10, moderate confidence.
Passes 7/9 gates (favorable risk/reward ratio, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news boost analyst 0.70, earnings proximity 73d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: moderate.
Recent Developments — AutoNation, Inc.
Latest news
- Citigroup Maintains Buy on AutoNation, Raises Price Target to $287 — benzinga May 14, 2026 positive
- Yusheng Seeks IPO As China's Used Car Market Catches A Break — benzinga May 12, 2026 neutral
- Barclays Maintains Overweight on AutoNation, Raises Price Target to $255 — benzinga May 6, 2026 positive
- AutoNation Says Deferred Car Buying Is Feeding Its After-Sales Boom — benzinga May 1, 2026 positive
- Transcript: AutoNation Q1 2026 Earnings Conference Call — benzinga May 1, 2026 neutral
Generated 2026-05-20T21:06:21Z.
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)
- MEDIUMGeographicFlorida26%10-K Item 1: 'Florida| | 51 | | | 57 | | | 18 | | | 26'
- MEDIUMGeographicTexas20%10-K Item 1: 'Texas| | 48 | | | 61 | | | 17 | | | 20'
- HIGHCustomertop-8 core brands89%10-K Item 1A: 'The core brands of new vehicles that we sell, representing approximately 89% of the new vehicles that we sold in 2025, are manufactured by Toyota (including Lexus), Honda, Ford, General Motors, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Volkswagen'
Material Events(8-K, last 90d)
- 2026-04-29Item 5.02LOWStockholders approved the AutoNation 2026 Employee Equity and Incentive Plan at the April 28, 2026 Annual Meeting, authorizing up to 1,275,000 plus 883,316 remaining shares from the prior 2017 Plan. No officer departure.SEC filing →
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer
Rating Breakdown
2 floor-breakers
Price action weak — below key moving averages, no momentum carry. Needs a base before trend-continuation setups apply.static
Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $181.94: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.4/10 and A.R:R 1.9:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 1.35; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 32, MACD bearish. Prior stop was $175.15. Score 5.4/10, moderate confidence.
Take-profit target: $211.88 (+16.5% upside). Prior stop was $175.15. Stop-loss: $175.15.
Concentration risk — Customer: top-8 core brands (89.0%); Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0).
AutoNation, Inc. trades at a P/E of 9.9 (forward 7.5). TrendMatrix value score: 8.5/10. Verdict: Sell.
22 analysts cover AN with a consensus score of 4.0/5. Average price target: $244.
What does AutoNation, Inc. do?AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the U.S., operating 245 stores with 323 new vehicle franchises...
AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the U.S., operating 245 stores with 323 new vehicle franchises selling 30 brands, concentrated in Sunbelt markets; Florida, Texas, and California together represent 65% of revenue. The company earns from new/used vehicle sales, parts and service, finance and insurance, and its captive auto finance subsidiary AutoNation Finance.