JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock Price

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target dropped by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $195.00 to $175.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 10.11% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on AN. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $158.94 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a PE ratio of 9.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. AutoNation has a 1 year low of $150.08 and a 1 year high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $179.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.62.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares during the period. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,172,000 after buying an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in AutoNation by 63.0% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,662,000 after buying an additional 426,882 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in AutoNation by 2.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,804,000 after buying an additional 19,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in AutoNation by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,682,000 after acquiring an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.