AutoNation (AN) Set to Announce Earnings on Friday

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) will announce its earnings results before the market opens on Friday, April 26th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $4.49 per share for the quarter. Parties interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The business had revenue of $6.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.37 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect AutoNation to post $19 EPS for the current fiscal year and $20 EPS for the next fiscal year.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $154.52 on Friday. AutoNation has a 1 year low of $123.81 and a 1 year high of $182.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Guggenheim upped their price target on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $477,093.24. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,657.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 501,776 shares of company stock valued at $73,818,692. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Point72 Europe London LLP bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter valued at about $65,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in AutoNation by 101.6% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in 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.