AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives $200.38 Average Target Price from Analysts

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $200.38.

AN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total transaction of $10,361,568.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the business’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 value of $7,189,355.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total value of $10,361,568.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 93,256 shares of company stock valued at $17,641,954. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AN. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $369,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 359.0% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 398.3% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 12.8% during the first quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of AN stock opened at $155.85 on Friday. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $197.18. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $170.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.19.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 17.49 EPS for the current fiscal 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.