Seaport Res Ptn Lowers Earnings Estimates for AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) – Stock analysts at Seaport Res Ptn dropped their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for AutoNation in a research note issued on Sunday, October 20th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $17.47 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $18.19. The consensus estimate for AutoNation’s current full-year earnings is $17.57 per share.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Stephens began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.38.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $161.75 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $171.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.80. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $123.81 and a 1-year high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.19.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.29 earnings per share.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 1.2% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN increased its position in AutoNation by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 15,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 32,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,393,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis Capital Management raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the second quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,543,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

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.