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AutoCanada

ACQ.TO
22
Auto - Dealerships · Consumer Cyclical
Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Winston Score
22
Winston is worried
Weak fundamentals across most pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Weak
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Weak
Stability
Weak
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Weak

Winston Score History

The full picture

AutoCanada is a company that owns and operates car dealerships across Canada and the United States. It sells new and used vehicles from many different brands, including Chrysler, Jeep, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and others. Customers are everyday people and businesses buying or leasing personal and commercial vehicles.

AutoCanada makes money by selling vehicles, offering financing and insurance products, and providing vehicle repairs and maintenance through its service departments. It operates roughly 60 dealerships, primarily in Canada, making it one of the largest publicly traded dealership groups in the country. The service and parts business provides more stable, recurring revenue compared to vehicle sales, which is important because new car sales can slow sharply when interest rates rise or the economy weakens — a key risk the company currently faces given high borrowing costs and thin operating margins.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+6.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+36.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Strong earnings growth

Insider Activity

0.2%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

C$155M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

AutoCanada is growing revenue at 6% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
6.2%
Thin — 6.2% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
2.9%
Thin — 2.9% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
5.4%
Weak — 5.4% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+0.4%
Nearly flat sales (+0.4% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
N/A
Data not available
How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
5/8 quarters
Mixed — about half the quarters showed growth

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
-240%
Weak — only -240% of profit becomes cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
-2.2%
Burning cash (-2.2%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
3.26
Heavy debt load (3.26)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
1.13x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.1x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
16.6x
no trend
Fair value — P/E 16.6

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+10.0
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (16.6 → 6.5)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
1.81%
no trend
Small dividend — 1.81% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+0.0%
no trend
Dividend flat

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