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

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $200.75.

AN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Cfra Research upgraded shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AN. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,870,000 after acquiring an additional 2,263 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $242,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,370,000 after acquiring an additional 6,558 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 2,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $191.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. AutoNation has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $168.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.49 EPS. Analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.