AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $173.00.

A number of research firms have commented on AN. StockNews.com cut AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded 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, Guggenheim increased their price objective on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at $925,259.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at $925,259.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First National Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $208,000. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $96,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 10.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,595,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares during the last quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 4.2% during the first quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 19,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,053,000 after buying an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $444,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 5.8 %

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $169.70 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.49, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.24. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $182.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $153.76 and a 200 day moving average of $144.64.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $4.49. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.05 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 18.92 earnings per share for the current 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.