AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Barclays

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target trimmed by Barclays from $230.00 to $220.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on AN. Northcoast Research raised shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. 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. Argus upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $227.50.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $187.99 on Tuesday. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $151.82 and a 12-month high of $235.81. The business’s fifty day moving average is $175.81 and its 200 day moving average is $193.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The stock has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.93 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.63% and a return on equity of 31.18%. AutoNation’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.01 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 20.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $85,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About AutoNation

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.