Analysts Set AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) PT at $183.25

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $183.25.

Several equities analysts have commented on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Bank of America cut their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total transaction of $1,680,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,793 shares in the company, valued at $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was 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 $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 133,703 shares of company stock worth $23,384,790 in the last ninety days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lido Advisors LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 18.3% in the third quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 2,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 69.6% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 11,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,752,000 after acquiring an additional 4,748 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in AutoNation by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 262,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,487,000 after purchasing an additional 5,930 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN opened at $179.00 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $166.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.19. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $182.81. The firm has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.49, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 42.44%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.44 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoNation declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Friday, April 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.