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

Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $244.00.

AN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup increased their target price on AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays started coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AutoNation from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on AutoNation from $225.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AutoNation in the second quarter worth $62,613,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in AutoNation by 260.2% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,064,000 after buying an additional 241,265 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 219.6% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 316,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,957,000 after acquiring an additional 217,774 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 51.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,439,000 after acquiring an additional 215,577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter worth about $34,601,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of AN stock opened at $216.20 on Monday. AutoNation has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $228.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $206.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $209.40. The stock has a market cap of $7.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.88.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.02 EPS. Analysts predict that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, October 31st that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.