GPI vs SAH vs LAD Stock Comparison

Group 1 Automotive, Sonic Automotive and Lithia Motors Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
GPI Group 1 Automotive Inc
$259.60 +7.8% 1M -35.8% 1Y
Market cap
$3.10B
P/E
8.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$21.77B
Div. yield
0.83%
Auto Dealerships Consumer Discretionary
4 wins
SAH Sonic Automotive Inc
$63.81 +6.9% 1M +1.3% 1Y
Market cap
$5.26B
P/E
9.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$15.48B
Div. yield
2.48%
Auto Dealerships Consumer Discretionary
5 wins
LAD Lithia Motors Inc
$297.18 +2.8% 1M -7.7% 1Y
Market cap
$6.45B
P/E
8.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$38.21B
Div. yield
0.80%
Auto Dealerships Consumer Discretionary
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Sonic Automotive leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Sonic Automotive 5, Group 1 Automotive 4, Lithia Motors 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGPISAHLADLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.10B $5.26B $6.45B LAD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 8.1x 9.8x 8.3x GPI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 6.7x 9.2x 8.7x GPI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -3.4% +2.0% +1.6% SAH
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.7% 1.3% 2.1% LAD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.0% 17.9% 6.3% SAH
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.3x 2.6x 6.0x SAH
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.83% 2.48% 0.80% SAH
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -35.8% +1.3% -7.7% SAH
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.6%/yr +5.2%/yr -1.4%/yr GPI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 43.0% 44.7% 41.4% LAD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 41/100 43/100 GPI

Percentile Scorecard

GPISAHLAD

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisGPISAHLAD
Valuation 85 #16 of 104 44 #59 of 104 55 #47 of 104
Growth 21 #78 of 98 65 #35 of 98 29 #70 of 98
Profitability 50 #49 of 97 52 #47 of 97 37 #62 of 97
Financial Health 32 #75 of 110 17 #91 of 110 21 #87 of 110
Shareholder Returns 64 #26 of 70 29 #50 of 70 73 #20 of 70
Overall 50 41 43
  • GPI ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • SAH ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • LAD ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodGPISAHLADSPY
1 month +7.8%+6.9%+2.8% +0.7%
3 months -12.5%-36.4%-26.6% +3.7%
6 months -27.3%-19.0%+2.4% +7.1%
Year to date -34.0%+3.2%-10.6% +12.8%
1 year -35.8%+1.3%-7.7% +11.9%
3 years +5.1%+34.3%+22.6% +85.2%
3 years, per year +1.7%+10.3%+7.0% +22.8%
5 years +44.4%+29.1%-6.9% +67.6%
5 years, per year +7.6%+5.2%-1.4% +10.9%
10 years +339.6%+256.5%+248.2% +262.0%
10 years, per year +16.0%+13.6%+13.3% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureGPISAHLADSPY
Volatility, 1Y 43.0%44.7%41.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 47.4%49.1%39.9% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.330.760.52 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.830.03-0.19 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -53.9%-47.2%-47.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -39.2%-43.6%-30.5% -1.2%
52-week high $426.91$113.07$427.48 $779.14
52-week low $224.95$58.28$243.00 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleGPISAHLAD
P/E now vs peer median 8.1xmedian 17.0x 9.8xmedian 17.0x 8.3xmedian 17.0x
P/S now vs peer median 0.1xmedian 0.5x 0.3xmedian 0.5x 0.2xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 9.2x 10.5xmedian 9.2x 9.4xmedian 9.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 13.7xmedian 15.6x 57.7xmedian 15.6x -15.1xmedian 15.6x
P/B now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 1.7x 5.0xmedian 1.7x 1.0xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median -0.66median 0.77 0.11median 0.77 -5.50median 0.77

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsGPISAHLAD
Revenue $21.77B $15.48B $38.21B
Gross profit $3.47B $2.43B $5.79B
Operating income $785.70M $499.90M $1.55B
Net income $380.00M $206.20M $794.40M
Free cash flow $226.30M $91.10M -$426.70M
EPS (diluted) $31.93 $6.40 $35.84
Cash & equivalents $881.50M $10.70M $374.00M
Total debt $3.89B $1.75B $11.75B
Shares (diluted) 11.90M 32.20M 22.00M
Enterprise value $1.98B $5.22B $4.97B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricGPISAHLAD
P/E 8.1x 9.8x 8.3x
P/FCF 13.7x 57.7x -15.1x
P/Operating cash flow 6.6x 100.3x -79.4x
P/S 0.1x 0.3x 0.2x
P/B 1.0x 5.0x 1.0x
P/Tangible book 1.4x 9.5x 1.7x
EV/EBITDA 6.7x 10.5x 9.4x
EV/EBIT 7.8x 14.0x 11.5x
EV/Revenue 0.3x 0.5x 0.5x
EV/FCF 27.0x 76.8x -41.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.0x 133.5x -219.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.66 0.11 -5.50

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGPISAHLAD
Revenue growth (1Y) -3.4% 2.0% 1.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.6% 2.5% 8.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -4.4% 3.1% 0.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.8% 2.2% 3.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -0.3% 32.3% -7.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -8.2% 41.1% -3.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 1.0% 58.1% -11.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -16.4% 81.8% -8.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.6% 72.4% 0.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -12.3% 86.0% -1.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -39.4% -91.1% -127.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.9% 33.7% 33.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -54.1% -88.7% -906.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.7% -12.5% 6.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGPISAHLAD
Gross margin 15.9% 15.7% 15.1%
EBITDA margin 4.2% 4.3% 5.0%
Operating margin 3.6% 3.2% 4.0%
Pretax margin 2.3% 1.9% 2.8%
Net margin 1.7% 1.3% 2.1%
FCF margin 1.0% 0.6% -1.1%
Operating cash flow margin 2.2% 0.3% -0.2%
Return on equity 12.6% 30.1% 12.2%
Return on assets 3.6% 4.9% 3.0%
Return on invested capital 9.0% 17.9% 6.3%
Return on capital employed 11.0% 15.6% 8.5%
Asset turnover 2.1x 2.4x 1.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 0.3x -0.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.1% 0.2% 0.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGPISAHLAD
Debt / assets 36.0% 26.9% 43.8%
Debt / equity 1.3x 1.6x 1.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.3x 2.6x 6.0x
Debt / FCF 17.2x 19.2x -27.5x
Liabilities / assets 71.6% 83.7% 75.3%
Equity / assets 28.4% 16.3% 24.7%
Interest coverage – – 7.2x
Current ratio 1.3x 1.0x 1.0x
Quick ratio 0.4x 0.1x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.0x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 3.24 3.52 2.15

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGPISAHLAD
Dividend yield 0.8% 2.5% 0.8%
Net buyback yield 11.3% 0.3% 13.9%
Shareholder yield 12.1% 2.8% 14.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 6.8% 22.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 11.4% 50.9% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.4% -30.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.6% -16.3% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusGPISAHLAD
Forward P/E 6.7xFY2026 9.2xFY2026 8.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $38.71FY2026 $6.92FY2026 $34.04FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -4.9%FY2026 +4.8%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +8.1% +1.0% +15.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $20.66BFY2026 $14.64BFY2026 $37.52BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -8.5%FY2026 -3.4%FY2026 -0.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.6% +5.2% +8.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGPISAHLAD
Held by institutions 99.9% 20.6% 100.0%
Institutions holding 386 235 445
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.7% +1.7% +0.2%
Institutions buying 203 122 223
Institutions selling 125 80 160
Buyers to sellers 1.62 1.53 1.39

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

GPISAHLAD
GPI 1.00 0.76 0.67
SAH 0.76 1.00 0.69
LAD 0.67 0.69 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GPI, SAH and LAD?

Lithia Motors (LAD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Group 1 Automotive (GPI) $3.10B, Sonic Automotive (SAH) $5.26B, Lithia Motors (LAD) $6.45B.

Which stock is cheaper, GPI, SAH and LAD?

Group 1 Automotive (GPI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Group 1 Automotive (GPI) 8.1x, Sonic Automotive (SAH) 9.8x, Lithia Motors (LAD) 8.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Group 1 Automotive (GPI) is cheapest (Group 1 Automotive (GPI) 6.7x, Sonic Automotive (SAH) 9.2x, Lithia Motors (LAD) 8.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Sonic Automotive (SAH) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Group 1 Automotive (GPI) -3.4%, Sonic Automotive (SAH) +2.0%, Lithia Motors (LAD) +1.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lithia Motors (LAD) has the highest net margin (Group 1 Automotive (GPI) 1.7%, Sonic Automotive (SAH) 1.3%, Lithia Motors (LAD) 2.1%). On return on invested capital, Sonic Automotive (SAH) leads (Group 1 Automotive (GPI) 9.0%, Sonic Automotive (SAH) 17.9%, Lithia Motors (LAD) 6.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Sonic Automotive (SAH) returned the most: Group 1 Automotive (GPI) -35.8%, Sonic Automotive (SAH) +1.3%, Lithia Motors (LAD) -7.7%. Over five years, Group 1 Automotive (GPI) compounded fastest (Group 1 Automotive (GPI) +7.6%/yr, Sonic Automotive (SAH) +5.2%/yr, Lithia Motors (LAD) -1.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Sonic Automotive (SAH) has the highest dividend yield: Group 1 Automotive (GPI) 0.83%, Sonic Automotive (SAH) 2.48%, Lithia Motors (LAD) 0.80%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Lithia Motors (LAD) has been the steadiest (Group 1 Automotive (GPI) 43.0%, Sonic Automotive (SAH) 44.7%, Lithia Motors (LAD) 41.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GPI, SAH and LAD?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Sonic Automotive (SAH) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.