AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Cut to “Hold (C+)” at Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings cut shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AN. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Stephens increased their price target on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.63.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of AN stock opened at $213.02 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $195.82. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.99 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in AutoNation by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 45.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 38.0% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.