COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
CARG vs SAH
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CARG scored 83.4, SAH scored 64.6 — CARG leads.
Compare another set
CARG
CarGurus, Inc. Class A Common Stock
83.4
$36.85 · $3.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
18.8
CARG leads
SAH
Sonic Automotive, Inc.
64.6
$77.45 · $2.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestSAH12.3x
- Fastest growthCARG+13.9%
- Strongest balance sheetCARG0.70
- Highest qualityCARG88 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueSAH-47%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CARG
stronger →← stronger
SAH
88
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
65
85
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
66
77
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
62
CARG is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CARG
SAH
$315mC
FCF
$245mC
+13.9%B+
Rev
+5.3%C+
0.70B+
D/E
4.56D
19.0xB
P/E
12.3xA-
1.08B+
PEG
0.81B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CARG
SAH
38% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
47% below
~-2%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-8%/yr
+39%
1-yr DCF upside
+73%
+62%
5-yr DCF upside
+90%
+100%
10-yr DCF upside
+119%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CARG
Why this score
- Buying back stock
SAH
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
The companies
CARGCarGurus, Inc. Class A Common Stock
Why now
Auto & Truck Dealerships · market cap $3.3b. 11% off the 52-week high of $41.22. Revenue growing +14%, comfortably above the S&P median. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $41.50 (implying +13% upside).
Moat
Net margin 18% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 67% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 179% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
SAHSonic Automotive, Inc.
Why now
Auto & Truck Dealerships · market cap $2.4b. Down 32% from 52-week high of $113.67 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.81 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $98.55 (implying +27% upside).
Moat
ROE 21% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 115% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
D/E 4.56 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Down 32% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Net margin 1.4% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where CARG and SAH diverge
On the headline score the gap is 18.8 points in favor of CARG. The widest single difference is Quality, where CARG leads by 22.7 points.
- QualityCARG 88.1 · SAH 65.4CARG +22.7
- GrowthCARG 85.1 · SAH 66.2CARG +18.9
- ValueCARG 77.2 · SAH 62.3CARG +14.9
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.