AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN – Get Rating) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $144.50.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut AutoNation from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AutoNation from $123.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 28th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on AutoNation to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 1st.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 175,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.36, for a total value of $17,913,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,239,495 shares in the company, valued at $638,674,708.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 125,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.82, for a total value of $13,102,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,878,888 shares in the company, valued at $616,225,040.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 175,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.36, for a total value of $17,913,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,239,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $638,674,708.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 543,329 shares of company stock worth $58,368,575. 0.64{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $553,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 3.7{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 468,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,772,000 after purchasing an additional 16,528 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 13.9{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 824 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $670,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 228.2{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 15,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 11,021 shares in the last quarter. 86.31{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.7 {7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91}

Shares of AN stock opened at $111.00 on Friday. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $94.92 and a 12 month high of $135.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The business’s 50 day moving average is $113.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.90. The company has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 4.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.16.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 27th. The company reported $6.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.32 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 62.53{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} and a net margin of 5.50{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91}. Equities analysts predict that AutoNation will post 24.05 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation Company Profile

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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.

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