AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock Rating Cut to “Neutral” at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) was downgraded by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $185.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 3.49% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on AN. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $227.50.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $178.76 on Wednesday. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $151.82 and a 1-year high of $235.81. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $176.23 and its 200 day moving average is $193.43. The company has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.59, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.08 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.93 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.18% and a net margin of 2.63%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.01 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 21.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Redwood Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 1.1% during the first quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Davis Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.7% during the third quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 4.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 73.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Company Profile

AutoNation, Inc is a U.S.-based automotive retailer that sells new and used vehicles through a network of dealerships and online sales channels. The company represents a range of domestic, import and luxury automotive brands, offering passenger cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles.

In addition to vehicle sales, AutoNation provides automotive maintenance and repair, parts, collision-repair services, vehicle protection products and financing options. Its retail operations include traditional dealerships as well as AutoNation USA locations, which focus primarily on used vehicles and related services.

Founded in 1996 as Republic Industries, the company adopted the AutoNation name as it developed its automotive retail business.