Home Compare HD vs PAG
Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

The Home Depot vs Penske Automotive Group: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with The Home Depot carrying a narrow edge on profitability. Penske Automotive still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward Penske Automotive, which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with The Home Depot, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The clearest score difference appears in profitability.

Trajectory Similarity
0.80
Similar
Peer-set rank: #7
within The Home Depot, Inc.'s functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

The clearest structural overlap shows up in capital structure and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
capital structuremargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
HD
The Home Depot, Inc.
51
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
PAG
Penske Automotive Group, Inc.
48
Peer-Score
Signal qualityLow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: HD vs PAG Profitability 42 27 Stability 66 58 Valuation 74 86 Growth 13 15 HD PAG
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +15
#2 Valuation +12
#3 Stability +8
#4 Growth +2
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for HD and PAG Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer HDPAG Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against The Home Depot, Inc..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where HD and PAG each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY HD Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 57 pct gap PAG Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 37th 94th
Today HD sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (37th percentile), while PAG sits higher in its own history (94th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, HD is at a historically more favourable entry position than PAG. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
The Home Depot, Inc. holds the stronger peer position on profitability.
Valuation
Both look solid on valuation, though Penske Automotive Group, Inc. still holds the stronger peer position.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
HD
42
PAG
27
Gap+15in favour of HD

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 6.4-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Penske Automotive, with a forward P/E that is 6.1 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is visible, but a meaningful counterforce still keeps the result balanced.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the HD vs PAG comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how HD and PAG each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.