AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target Increased to $169.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price objective raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $153.00 to $169.00 in a research note published on Monday, Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on AN. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an outperform rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. Bank of America dropped their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded AutoNation from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $175.38.

AutoNation Stock Down 2.6 %

AN stock opened at $165.39 on Monday. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $182.08. The company has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $154.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 43.48% and a net margin of 3.41%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.05 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 $70,657.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $477,093.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 464 shares in the company, valued at $70,657.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.