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

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $246.90.

AN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Simcoe Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $18,988,000. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,140,000. Emmett Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,496,000. 44 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,378,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in AutoNation by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,034,000 after purchasing an additional 151,966 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $193.32 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.74. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $176.62 and a 12 month high of $228.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $196.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $201.63.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.68 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 21.19 EPS for the current 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.