AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $200.38.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Finally, Stephens started coverage on AutoNation in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $210.00 price target for the company.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:AN opened at $169.14 on Friday. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $197.18. The firm has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $171.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.58.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS 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 business's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.29 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 17.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,899 shares of the company's stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 4,335 shares of the company's stock valued at $776,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $313,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 1,708 shares of the company's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 28.1% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 802 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is 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.