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

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $194.25.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Stephens started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $683,777,090.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $176.91 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.39, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $172.93 and its 200 day moving average is $166.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21. AutoNation has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results 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 firm 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%. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 17.67 EPS for the current 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.