Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO) fair value: what the stock is really worth
As of Sep 22, 2026: fair value of Auto Trader Group plc £6.29, price £4.84, upside +29.9%, quality 83 out of 100. Calculated from audited financials with 26 valuation models and 37 quality factors, updated daily.
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Price vs Fair Value
White line = price, green steps = our fair value per fiscal year, dashed = 300-day average. As of Sep 18, 2026.
How to read this chart
60‑month range £4.27 – £8.95 · fair‑value band £4.18 – £10.43 · the £4.84 price screens below the £6.29 fair value. Green steps = our fair value per fiscal year (point-in-time, no hindsight). Dashed = 300-day average. As of Sep 18, 2026.
Autotrader Group plc operates an automotive platform in the United Kingdom. It operates through Auto Trader and Autorama segments.
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Autotrader Group plc operates an automotive platform in the United Kingdom. It operates through Auto Trader and Autorama segments. The company provides vehicle advertisement on its websites for private sellers, as well as insurance and loan finance products to consumers; and display advertising on its websites for manufacturers and their advertising agencies. It also sells new vehicles and accessories; and facilitates the lease of new vehicles. The company offers its products to retailers, home traders, and logistics customers. The company was formerly known as Auto Trader Group plc and changed its name to Autotrader Group plc in January 2026. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Manchester, the United Kingdom.
Stock analysis
Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO) currently trades at £4.84, while our model-based Fair Value estimate is £6.29, implying the stock looks roughly 23.0% undervalued today.
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Valuation
Bull case: the DCF Models group reads highest at a median of £6.68 per share, and 13 of the 26 models we run sit above the £4.84 price.
Bear case: the Dividend Discount group reads lowest at £1.81, and 13 of the 26 models stay below the price. Evidence for this calculation is high.
Scenario range: £4.18 (bear) to £10.43 (bull), the price of £4.84 sits inside it. Bear and bull are the same models on cautious and optimistic assumptions, a range, not a price target.
Quality & growth
The Quality Score stands at 83/100 (high quality), in the Communication Services sector.
Healthy Growth: Revenue growth appears healthy and is supported by profitability and cash-flow quality.
Auto Trader Group plc reported revenue of £624M in FY2026 versus £433M in FY2022, a compound +9.6%/yr. Reported net income was £294M in FY2026, compounding +4.7%/yr from FY2022.
Key figures
Market cap 4.2B GBX · P/E ratio 14.2 · P/S ratio 6.70 · EPS (TTM) £0.3400 · Dividend yield 2.3% · Net margin 47.1% · Return on equity 60.2% · Return on assets (EBIT) 53.1%.
Competitive moat
Our AI-assisted moat analysis scores the competitive advantage at 52 out of 100 (low confidence).
What moves the price
For context, the median of 10 Communication Services peers we cover trades at 10% fair-value upside, at 30%, AUTO screens cheaper than that median.
Fair Value models
Bear £4.18Fair Value £6.29Bull £10.43
Model ⓘEach model values the company its own way (discounted cash flow, earnings, assets, dividends). The fair value above is their evidence-weighted blend, not the output of a single model. Based on fiscal year 2026 figures (about 6 months old). Earnings retained since then (£0.1114 per share) are deliberately not added.Bear ⓘBear = the cautious scenario: the same model computed with conservative anchors (lower growth, margins and valuation multiples). Together with Bull it frames a plausible valuation range, not a price target.BaseBull ⓘBull = the optimistic scenario: the same model computed with favourable anchors (higher growth, margins and valuation multiples). Together with Bear it frames a plausible valuation range, not a price target.Evidence ⓘEvidence = how well-backed THIS model's estimate is for this stock (0–100): how complete and reliable its input data are, and how well the model fits the company. The final Fair Value is an evidence-weighted blend, so better-evidenced models count more. Green ≥70, amber 50–69, grey below 50.
Growth Quality ⓘGrowth is valuable only when reinvestment earns attractive returns (Aswath Damodaran): sustainable growth depends on return on capital, reinvestment and efficiency. Basis: total company revenue over the periods shown on the cards (3Y/5Y/all years), not per share, so a merger can show up as a growth jump; per-share earnings growth is in the value-creation card.100/100
Revenue growth appears healthy and is supported by profitability and cash-flow quality.
Revenue growth 1 year
+3.9%
Revenue growth 3 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+7.7%
Revenue growth 5 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+18.9%
Revenue growth 14 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+8.1%
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What shareholders gained per year (last 5 years) ⓘWhat the business itself delivers per year: earnings growth per share plus the dividend yield. This is what you get IF the market keeps valuing the stock the same way: it contains no assumption about the market changing its mind. Computed per share, so buybacks count and a merger does not pass as growth. For a company that pays no dividend it is pure earnings growth per share. Period: earnings growth per share as CAGR over the last 5 reported fiscal years (annual statements), plus the current dividend yield. The start value is the median of the three years around the start, so a single crisis year (a pandemic or a write-down) does not distort the rate.
+11.4%
Earnings growth per share plus dividend.
Earnings per share, growth per year+9.1%
Dividend (yield on the price)2.3%
Pace: 5 vs 10 years ⓘTwo data points, not a trend model: earnings growth per share over the last 5 fiscal years against the last 10. Labelled "steady" when both rates are within 3 percentage points of each other, otherwise picking up or flattening. Shown only when ten years of history exist.9% vs 10%, steady
Profit margin 2021 to 2026 ⓘOperating margin then vs now, from reported annual statements. A falling margin after a boom year is the classic peak-earnings signal: the growth rate then leans on an inflated base.61% → 62%
Growth Forecast
Price in line with expectations
The price assumes less growth than the company has delivered so far and about what analysts expect.
What the price assumes ⓘThis turns our valuation around: instead of asking what the share is worth, it asks what growth the current price requires. It uses the cash the company keeps after all spending (free cash flow), the same discount rate as our models, five years of growth, then slowing evenly to 2 % a year by year ten. Compared with the analysts' sales forecasts extended to the same five years (at least three analysts, for context only, it does not enter the Fair Value): within 3 percentage points counts as "in line" (amber), below that little optimism (green), above that a lot of optimism (red).
+3.1%
Yearly growth needed for the next five years to justify today's price.
What forecasts expect ⓘAnalysts publish sales forecasts for the next two fiscal years. For the years after that, growth slows evenly to 2 % a year by year ten (2 % is the long-run rate our models use). Projected years are marked as such.
+4.8%
Yearly sales growth analysts expect, extended to five years.
News mood ⓘNews mood, the average tone of recent news (93 articles), rated against how stocks are usually covered. 🚀 Hype = unusually upbeat · 🙂 Positive = above average · 😐 Neutral = typical · 🙁 Negative = below average · 😨 Very negative = unusually downbeat. It reflects the tone of coverage, not our valuation.Neutral
Recent news coverage is roughly neutral, about typical for how stocks are covered.
Price, fair value, quality and upside side by side.
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Peer GroupⓘHow this stock ranks against its industry: the green marker is this stock, the band is the typical 25–75% peer range, and the tick is the median.Internet Content & Information · 150 stocks
Beats the industry median on 8/14 measures
A mixed picture versus its industry peers.
Valuation
Quality Score83 · Top 25%
Fair Value upside+20% · Above median
Profitability
Return on equity (TTM)60% · Top 25%
Return on assets37% · Top 25%
Net margin (TTM)47% · Top 25%
Operating margin (TTM)62% · Top 25%
Growth and dividend
Revenue growth3% · Below median
Dividend yield (TTM)2.3% · Above median
Balance sheet
Debt / equity0.40× · Highest 25%
Valuation Multiplesvs Internet Content & Information median · lower = cheaper
For bloggers, editors and developers: paste this into your site or blog (a “Custom HTML” block in WordPress), it shows the current fair value and links back here. Free, plain HTML, and welcome. Full data streams (CSV/JSON) at /developers.
Cite: Fair Value Calculator (2026). "Auto Trader Group plc Fair Value". https://www.fairvalue-calculator.com/stock/AUTO.LSE
Frequently asked questions
Is Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO) overvalued or undervalued?
As of Sep 18, 2026, our model estimates a fair value of £6.29 versus a price of £4.84, about +30% upside (undervalued).
What is the fair value of AUTO?
Our model-based fair value for Auto Trader Group plc is £6.29 (as of Sep 18, 2026), built from audited fundamentals. The current price: £4.84.
What is the quality score of AUTO?
Auto Trader Group plc has a Quality Score of 83/100. It measures business quality (profitability, growth, cash flow, balance-sheet strength, investment discipline, share issuance). Market factors such as price momentum and volatility do not enter the number; they are shown separately in the detail view.
What is the price target for Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
Our model-based price target is the fair value of £6.29 (as of Sep 18, 2026) from 26 valuation models. Cautious scenario £4.18, optimistic scenario £10.43. It is a calculation from audited fundamentals, not an analyst target.
What is the Auto Trader Group plc stock forecast for 2026?
Our models put fair value at £6.29, about +30% upside versus a price of £4.84 (undervalued). Cautious scenario £4.18, optimistic scenario £10.43. The calculation is refreshed regularly with new filings.
What is the revenue of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
Auto Trader Group plc reported trailing-twelve-month revenue of about £624M (latest available figure, as of Sep 18, 2026).
Does Auto Trader Group plc pay a dividend?
Auto Trader Group plc currently shows a dividend yield of about 2.25% relative to its recent price (as of Sep 18, 2026).
What growth is priced into Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
For today's price to be fair in a discounted-cash-flow model, Auto Trader Group plc would have to grow free cash flow by +3.1 % per year for five years (discount rate 9.5 %, then slowing evenly to 2 % perpetual growth by year ten). Over the last 5 years revenue grew +18.9 % per year. As of Sep 18, 2026.
What discount rate (WACC) does the fair value of AUTO use?
Our models discount Auto Trader Group plc at 9.5 %: a base by market capitalisation (mid), damped by beta 0.69, country premium for United Kingdom. The same rate applies in all 26 models.
What is a reverse DCF?
A reverse DCF turns the usual calculation around. Instead of deriving a value from assumptions, it takes today's price as given and asks: what free-cash-flow growth would a company have to deliver for exactly this price to be fair? The result is not a forecast but the expectation already priced in. For Auto Trader Group plc that is +3.1 % per year a year over ten years, using the same discount rate (9.5 %) and the same formula as our fair value.
How much growth has Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO) delivered so far?
Over the past 5 years revenue at Auto Trader Group plc grew +18.9 % a year. The price currently implies +3.1 % per year free-cash-flow growth a year. Comparing the two shows how much confidence is in the price: if it demands more than has been delivered, the business has to accelerate for the maths to work.
How fast is the sector of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO) growing?
The median revenue growth in the sector is +2.0 % a year. That is the yardstick for the growth priced into Auto Trader Group plc (+3.1 % per year a year): it shows whether the expectation is within the usual range or beyond it.
What is the free cash flow yield of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The free-cash-flow yield on the price is 7.16 %: that much free cash flow Auto Trader Group plc produces per unit of market value. When it exceeds the discount rate of our models (9.5 %), the business already earns more than its cost of capital demands, and the price needs little additional growth.
What is the intrinsic value of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
Intrinsic value and fair value mean the same thing: what the business is worth on its numbers, independent of the share price. For Auto Trader Group plc it is £6.29 per share (as of Sep 18, 2026), against a price of £4.84. It is the blended result of 26 valuation models (cash flow, earnings, asset, dividend).
Is Auto Trader Group plc stock overvalued or undervalued in 2026?
As of Sep 18, 2026, AUTO trades below its calculated fair value: price £4.84, fair value £6.29, a gap of about +30% (undervalued). The calculation is refreshed with each new quarterly report, so the verdict can change during the year.
Is fair value the same as the market price of AUTO?
No. The price is what the market pays today (£4.84); the fair value is what the company's own numbers justify (£6.29). For Auto Trader Group plc the two are £1.45 per share apart. That gap is exactly why we show both numbers side by side.
How much is Auto Trader Group plc worth?
The market values Auto Trader Group plc at about 4.2B GBX (market capitalisation, as of Sep 18, 2026). Per share that is £4.84; our models calculate a fair value of £6.29 per share.
What do the bullish and bearish scenarios say about AUTO?
Our models span a range for Auto Trader Group plc: cautious scenario £4.18, base £6.29, optimistic £10.43 per share (as of Sep 18, 2026, price £4.84). The range comes from different growth and margin assumptions, not from analyst opinions.
What is the P/E ratio of AUTO?
Auto Trader Group plc trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.2 (as of Sep 18, 2026). A P/E on its own says little: it compares the price with ONE year of profit, while our fair value of £6.29 is built from several models across several years. Other multiples: P/B 13.1, P/S 8.5, EV/EBITDA 13.5.
How solid is the balance sheet of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
Balance-sheet figures for Auto Trader Group plc (as of Sep 18, 2026): return on equity 60.2%, debt of 0.40 per unit of equity. They feed the Quality Score of 83/100, which measures business quality independently of the share price.
Which stocks are comparable to Auto Trader Group plc?
From the same area (Communication Services) we also value Alphabet Inc, Meta Platforms, Inc, Tencent Holdings, Spotify Technology S.A, among others. Each of them has its own fair-value calculation on this site using the same models, so the comparison is like for like.
Is Auto Trader Group plc stock attractive at the current price?
The data as of Sep 18, 2026: price £4.84, calculated fair value £6.29 (+30%), Quality Score 83/100, from 26 models. Whether that fits your horizon and risk tolerance is your call. We provide the calculation, not investment advice.
How is the fair value of AUTO calculated?
We run Auto Trader Group plc through 26 models from four families: discounted cash flow, earnings models, asset and balance-sheet models, and dividend models. Every model gets the same audited fundamentals; the result is the weighted average of £6.29, with the spread shown as a cautious and an optimistic scenario.
Is it still worth investing in stocks now?
The global stock market currently sits 16.2 % above its aggregate fair value. Auto Trader Group plc currently trades 30 % below its own fair value, and the market average says nothing about that. An expensive market is no reason to stay out and no reason to buy everything at once: keep a broad savings plan running, buy single stocks only with money you can do without, and hold part of your money liquid while the market is high. The full picture including sectors is on is it worth investing now.
What is the share price of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The closing price on Sep 22, 2026 was £4.84. Our model-based fair value is £6.29, about +30% upside (undervalued). We carry closing prices from our data provider, not a live tick.
What should I pay attention to with Auto Trader Group plc right now?
The rarer combination: high quality (83/100) AND below fair value. That earns a closer look rather than a quick verdict. A fairly wide model range (£4.18 to £10.43) leaves room in how you read the outcome.
Where does the earnings growth of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO) come from?
Earnings per share at Auto Trader Group plc grew +13.8 % a year from 2015 to 2026. Broken into its drivers: revenue per share +10.1 %, EBIT margin +0.5 %, tax rate −0.8 %, residual (interest, one-offs) +3.7 %. The four rates multiply to the earnings growth rate, they do not add up. Start and end are three-year averages so a single exceptional year does not distort the result.
Key figures of Auto Trader Group plc
How large is the market capitalisation of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The market capitalisation of Auto Trader Group plc is 4.2B GBX. The stock-market value of the whole company: share price times number of shares. It is what the market asks for the entire business today.
What is the P/S ratio of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The price-to-sales ratio of Auto Trader Group plc is 6.70 (P/E × margin). Price to sales: market value relative to yearly revenue. Useful when profit is thin or distorted.
What are the earnings per share of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
Earnings per share at Auto Trader Group plc are £0.3400 (price ÷ EPS = P/E 14.2). Earnings per share over the last twelve months: total profit spread across every single share.
What is the dividend yield of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The dividend yield of Auto Trader Group plc is 2.3% (payout 32.1%). Yearly dividend relative to the share price. 3% pays 3 per 100 invested. Below: how much of profit is used for it.
What is the net margin of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The net margin of Auto Trader Group plc is 47.1% (fiscal year 2026). How much of every unit of revenue ends up as profit. 10% means 10 cents of profit per dollar of sales.
What is the return on equity of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The return on equity (ROE) of Auto Trader Group plc is 60.2% (last twelve months). Profit relative to shareholders' equity, how efficiently the company works with its owners' money.
What is the EBIT return on assets of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
On an EBIT basis the return on assets of Auto Trader Group plc is 53.1% (avg 5y). Operating profit (EBIT) relative to everything the company owns, as a multi-year average. It describes the business model rather than one good or bad year.
What is the operating margin of Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
The operating margin of Auto Trader Group plc is 62.2% (last twelve months). Profit from the core business (before interest and taxes) relative to revenue.
How fast is revenue growing at Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
Revenue at Auto Trader Group plc is growing +2.7% versus a year earlier (3y avg +7.7%). How much revenue grew versus a year earlier (YoY). The 3-year average next to it puts the single year in context.
How fast are earnings growing at Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO)?
Earnings per share at Auto Trader Group plc are growing +5.1% versus a year earlier. How much earnings per share grew versus a year earlier.
How much net debt does Auto Trader Group plc (AUTO) carry?
The net debt of Auto Trader Group plc is 188M GBX (fiscal year 2026, ≈ 0.6 yrs of FCF). Debt minus cash on hand. The note shows how many years of free cash flow could in theory pay it off.
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Broad data
Sep 18, 2026