Benchmark Report
Sorren-branded, client-ready reporting generated from the selected peer cohort.
Meridian Automotive
Fremont, CA · NAICS 441110 New Car Dealers
Executive Summary
Meridian Automotive generated $77,353,000 of revenue in 2026 with 98 employees, producing an EBITDA margin of -21.2% against a peer median of -6.3%. Compared with 63 similar businesses, performance is strongest in tax efficiency and warrants examination in profitability. Total benchmark variance across all categories is $17.51M.
Company Snapshot
Peer Group Definition
Comparison sample size 63; NAICS 441110; revenue range $38.70M–$123.80M; geographic filter CA. Data availability for this client: 68% coverage across tax return, financial statements, payroll and employee records.
Financial Performance
| Line item (% revenue) | Company | Peer median | Top 25% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Cost of Goods Sold | 105.2% | 88.8% | 81.2% |
| Gross Profit | -5.2% | 11.2% | 18.8% |
| Payroll | 6.8% | 6.1% | 5.4% |
| Benefits | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Occupancy | 0.9% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Marketing | 1.1% | 1.3% | 1.4% |
| Insurance | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Professional Fees | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Administrative & Other | 4.2% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| EBITDA | -21.2% | -6.3% | 2.7% |
| Depreciation | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Interest | 3.2% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| Net Income | -25.4% | -10.4% | -1.0% |
Profitability and Operational Efficiency
Balance Sheet
Tax Overview
Industry Trends
| Year | Revenue | Growth | Gross | EBITDA | Payroll % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $65.66M | +5.2% | -10.7% | -26.3% | 7.5% |
| 2023 | $71.03M | +8.2% | -10.3% | -25.9% | 7.5% |
| 2024 | $73.00M | +2.8% | -10.1% | -25.8% | 7.5% |
| 2025 | $74.51M | +2.1% | -6.7% | -22.6% | 7.8% |
| 2026 | $77.35M | +3.8% | -5.2% | -21.2% | 7.9% |
Opportunities for Discussion
- Gross Margin Variance. Gross margin of -5.2% compares with a peer median of 11.2%. Where are direct costs and pricing diverging from comparable businesses?Benchmark variance $12.71M
- Payroll Efficiency. Total labor cost represents 7.9% of revenue against a peer median of 7.0%. Is the staffing model carrying capacity for growth, or absorbing margin?Benchmark variance $729K
- Leverage Profile. Debt to EBITDA of 35127062.00x compares with a peer median of 17716551.00x. Does the capital structure match the asset base and cash cycle?
- Revenue per Employee. Revenue per employee of $789K compares with a peer median of $828K. Is productivity constrained by capacity, mix, or pricing?Benchmark variance $3.82M
- Working Capital Position. Current ratio of 3.71 compares with an industry median of 3.76. How much liquidity headroom does the business need through its cycle?Benchmark variance $259K
- Operating Expense Load. Operating expenses run 16.0% of revenue versus a peer median of 16.5%. Which expense categories account for the difference?
- Owner Compensation Structure. Owner compensation represents 2.0% of revenue compared with a 1.8% median for comparable entities. Should compensation strategy be reviewed with the tax team?
Advisor Notes
Methodology
Sorren Benchmark aggregates anonymized financial, tax, payroll and operational data across 60,000 businesses. Peer statistics report count, mean, median, 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles and standard deviation. Comparisons use normalized ratios rather than raw dollars. Statistics are released only where a cohort contains at least 10 businesses, and individual peer companies are never displayed. Benchmark variance expresses the mathematical difference between this company and its peer median; it is not a projection of savings, nor tax or investment advice.