Evercore ISI Increases AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target to $240.00

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Free Report) had its price target lifted by Evercore ISI from $220.00 to $240.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on AN. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.71.

AutoNation Trading Down 4.2 %

AutoNation stock traded down $7.97 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $181.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 502,707 shares, compared to its average volume of 459,680. AutoNation has a one year low of $136.79 and a one year high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average of $181.12 and a 200-day moving average of $173.99. The stock has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners raised its stake in AutoNation by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,312,000 after buying an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,172,000 after buying an additional 488,904 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its stake in AutoNation by 63.0% in 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 last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in AutoNation by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,804,000 after buying an additional 19,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in AutoNation by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,682,000 after buying an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.