AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target Cut to $207.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $230.00 to $207.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on AN. Stephens upped their price objective on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $235.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup lowered their price target on AutoNation from $280.00 to $269.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.33.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $202.26 on Monday. AutoNation has a 52-week low of $155.29 and a 52-week high of $228.92. The stock has a market cap of $6.94 billion, a PE ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $196.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $205.03.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.91 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 31.69%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.97 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in AutoNation by 8.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,070,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter valued at about $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,967,000 after purchasing an additional 9,656 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.