AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $200.38.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Stephens began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total transaction of $91,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at $696,441,036.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total value of $10,361,568.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,825,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 93,256 shares of company stock worth $17,641,954. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

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

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN opened at $169.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $171.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.58. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted 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). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The company had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 17.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.