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

Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $248.6667.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AN shares. Bank of America began coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $233.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $192.36 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $200.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.06. The company has a market capitalization of $6.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.89. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.91 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.69% and a net margin of 2.35%.AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.97 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.