Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. SAH scored 64.1, OPLN scored 58.9 — SAH leads.
Compare another set
SAH
Sonic Automotive, Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · Quality-Growth
64.1
$60.56 · $1.9B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
5.2
SAH leads
OPLN
OPENLANE, Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · Quality-Growth
58.9
$36.71 · $4.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthOPLN+11.8%
Strongest balance sheetOPLN1.57
Highest qualitySAH72 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueOPLN-8%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
SAH
stronger →← stronger
OPLN
72
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
56
54
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
81
68
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
45
SAH is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
SAH
OPLN
—
FCF
$336mC
+5.3%C+
Rev
+11.8%B
4.56D
D/E
1.57C+
9.7xA-
P/E
—
0.59A-
PEG
1.22B
—
P/S
2.2xC+
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
SAH
OPLN
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
8% below
—
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~6%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-2%
—
5-yr DCF upside
+9%
—
10-yr DCF upside
+25%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
SAH
Why this score
Raising its dividend
OPLN
Why this score
Diluting shareholders
The companies
SAHSonic Automotive, Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · $60.56 · beta 0.93
Why now
Auto & Truck Dealerships · market cap $1.9b. Down 47% from 52-week high of $113.67 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.59 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $92.36 (implying +53% upside).
Moat
ROE 21% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
D/E 4.56 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Down 47% 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.
OPLNOPENLANE, Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · $36.71 · beta 1.27
Why now
Auto & Truck Dealerships · market cap $4.5b. 14% off the 52-week high of $42.90. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. 9 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $46.22 (implying +26% upside).
Moat
ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 167% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Higher-variance name — the thesis leans on growth and valuation rather than a long, settled track record, so it depends on execution continuing. Position size accordingly; a deep drawdown shouldn't change the thesis.
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 SAH and OPLN diverge
On the headline score the gap is 5.2 points in favor of SAH. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthSAH 54.1 · OPLN 80.8OPLN +26.7
ValueSAH 67.6 · OPLN 44.9SAH +22.7
QualitySAH 72.2 · OPLN 56.2SAH +16.0
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value 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.
Common questions
Is SAH or OPLN the better stock?
SAH scores higher: SAH 64.1, OPLN 58.9 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do SAH and OPLN differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where OPLN leads by 27 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are SAH and OPLN scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.