AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.75.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.1 %

AN opened at $179.77 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.61, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $148.33 and a 12 month high of $198.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $167.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.44.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.