Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. VVV scored 52.7, AN scored 53.1 — AN leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. VVV's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but AN's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
VVV
Valvoline Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · Quality-Growth
52.7
$30.27 · $3.9B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.4
AN leads
AN
AutoNation, Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · Quality-Growth
53.1
$157.38 · $5.2B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthVVV+16.1%
Strongest balance sheetVVV4.75
Highest qualityAN72 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
VVV
stronger →← stronger
AN
63
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
72
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
28
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
41
AN is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
VVV
AN
$135mC
FCF
-$104mF
+16.1%B+
Rev
+3.2%C+
4.75D
D/E
5.02D
37.4xC
P/E
—
1.10B+
PEG
0.43A
—
P/S
0.2xA
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
VVV
AN
52% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~21%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
—
-44%
1-yr DCF upside
—
-34%
5-yr DCF upside
—
-18%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
VVV
No notable signals flagged.
AN
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
The companies
VVVValvoline Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · $30.27 · beta 1.04
Why now
Auto & Truck Dealerships · market cap $3.9b. Down 26% from 52-week high of $41.08 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +16%, comfortably above the S&P median. 16 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $43.13 (implying +42% upside).
Moat
ROE 24% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 133% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
D/E 4.75 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Trailing P/E 37x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
ANAutoNation, Inc.
Auto & Truck Dealerships · $157.38 · beta 0.81
Why now
Auto & Truck Dealerships · market cap $5.2b. Down 33% from 52-week high of $235.81 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.43 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $226.75 (implying +44% upside).
Moat
ROE 33% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
D/E 5.02 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Free cash flow is negative (-$104m) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Down 33% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
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 VVV and AN diverge
The two are effectively level on the headline score. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthVVV 83.5 · AN 50.3VVV +33.2
ValueVVV 27.8 · AN 41.2AN +13.4
QualityVVV 63.1 · AN 72.3AN +9.2
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 AN or VVV the better stock?
AN scores higher: AN 53.1, VVV 52.7 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 AN and VVV differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where VVV leads by 33 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 AN and VVV 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.