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

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.71.

Several research analysts have commented on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total value of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total value of $17,621,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744 in the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 90.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE AN opened at $178.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $197.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a PE ratio of 8.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $170.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.03.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.29 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.