Zacks Research Has Optimistic View of AutoNation Q1 Earnings

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2027 earnings estimates for shares of AutoNation in a report issued on Thursday, September 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $5.25 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $5.01. The consensus estimate for AutoNation’s current full-year earnings is $18.15 per share.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AN. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.63.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $218.13 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $209.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $190.72. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The stock has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.88.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.99 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 45.3% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter valued at about $86,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently 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.