AutoNation (NYSE:AN) PT Lowered to $215.00

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its target price dropped by equities researchers at Bank of America from $220.00 to $215.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Bank of America‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 29.19% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.38.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $166.42 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $171.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.55. The stock has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.19. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $197.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 17.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total value of $91,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total value of $91,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 93,256 shares of company stock worth $17,641,954 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the first quarter valued at $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 90.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 79.7% in the first quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; and parts and services, such as automotive repair and maintenance, and wholesale parts and collision services.