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Side-by-side financial comparison of AUTONATION, INC. (AN) and Ecolab (ECL). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
AUTONATION, INC. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($6.9B vs $4.1B, roughly 1.7× Ecolab). Ecolab runs the higher net margin — 10.6% vs 2.5%, a 8.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Ecolab posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (10.0% vs -3.9%). Over the past eight quarters, AUTONATION, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (3.4% CAGR vs 1.0%).
AutoNation, Inc. is an American automotive retailer based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which provides new and pre-owned vehicles and associated services in the United States. The company was founded by Wayne Huizenga in 1996, starting with twelve AutoNation locations, and now has more than 300 retail outlets.
Ecolab Inc., headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, provides products related to water treatment, sanitation, and hygiene, primarily to commercial and industrial customers.
AN vs ECL — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q2 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $6.9B | $4.1B |
| Net Profit | $172.1M | $432.6M |
| Gross Margin | 17.5% | — |
| Operating Margin | 4.5% | 15.3% |
| Net Margin | 2.5% | 10.6% |
| Revenue YoY | -3.9% | 10.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | -7.5% | 1.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $4.68 | $1.52 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q2 26 | — | $4.1B | ||
| Q4 25 | $6.9B | $4.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.0B | $4.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.0B | $4.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $6.7B | $3.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $7.2B | $4.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.6B | $4.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.5B | $4.0B |
| Q2 26 | — | $432.6M | ||
| Q4 25 | $172.1M | $563.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $215.1M | $585.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $86.4M | $524.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $175.5M | $402.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $186.1M | $472.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $185.8M | $736.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $130.2M | $490.9M |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 17.5% | 44.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 17.6% | 44.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 18.3% | 44.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 18.2% | 44.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.2% | 43.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 18.0% | 43.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 17.9% | 43.8% |
| Q2 26 | — | 15.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.5% | 17.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.3% | 18.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.1% | 17.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.0% | 15.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 4.7% | 14.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.3% | 26.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.2% | 16.5% |
| Q2 26 | — | 10.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | 2.5% | 13.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.1% | 14.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.2% | 13.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.6% | 10.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.6% | 11.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.8% | 18.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.0% | 12.3% |
| Q2 26 | — | $1.52 | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.68 | $1.98 | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.65 | $2.05 | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.26 | $1.84 | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.45 | $1.41 | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.62 | $1.65 | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.61 | $2.58 | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.20 | $1.71 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $58.6M | $519.8K |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $3.7B | $8.5M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $2.3B | $10.0M |
| Total Assets | $14.4B | $25.0M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.58× | 0.85× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q2 26 | — | $519.8K | ||
| Q4 25 | $58.6M | $646.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $97.6M | $2.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $62.9M | $1.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $70.5M | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $59.8M | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $60.2M | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $85.9M | $384.0M |
| Q2 26 | — | $8.5M | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.7B | $7.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $8.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $7.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.1B | $7.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.6B | $6.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.1B | $7.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.1B | $7.5B |
| Q2 26 | — | $10.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.3B | $9.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.5B | $9.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.5B | $9.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.4B | $8.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5B | $8.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.4B | $8.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.2B | $8.3B |
| Q2 26 | — | $25.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $14.4B | $24.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $14.2B | $23.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $13.6B | $23.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $13.3B | $22.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $13.0B | $22.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $12.9B | $22.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $12.8B | $21.5B |
| Q2 26 | — | 0.85× | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.58× | 0.75× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.83× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.81× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.29× | 0.79× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.06× | 0.79× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.32× | 0.82× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.43× | 0.91× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $150.5M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $64.2M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 0.9% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 1.2% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 0.87× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $-197.5M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $150.5M | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $191.7M | $791.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-177.8M | $701.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-52.5M | $369.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $149.8M | $766.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-70.0M | $786.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-59.6M | $611.1M |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $64.2M | $758.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $122.8M | $529.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-256.8M | $485.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-127.7M | $131.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $83.5M | $407.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-151.0M | $550.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-147.1M | $414.2M |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.9% | 18.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.7% | 12.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | -3.7% | 12.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | -1.9% | 3.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.2% | 10.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | -2.3% | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | -2.3% | 10.4% |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.2% | 7.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.0% | 6.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.1% | 5.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.1% | 6.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.9% | 9.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.2% | 5.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.4% | 4.9% |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.87× | 1.93× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.89× | 1.35× | ||
| Q2 25 | -2.06× | 1.34× | ||
| Q1 25 | -0.30× | 0.92× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.80× | 1.62× | ||
| Q3 24 | -0.38× | 1.07× | ||
| Q2 24 | -0.46× | 1.24× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
AN
| New Vehicle | $3.4B | 50% |
| Transferred At Point In Time | $1.7B | 24% |
| Parts And Service | $1.2B | 18% |
| Finance And Insurance Net | $369.4M | 5% |
| Transferred Over Time | $221.4M | 3% |
| Other | $3.5M | 0% |
ECL
| Product and equipment sales | $3.2B | 78% |
| Service and lease sales | $891.5M | 22% |
