AutoNation (AN) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) is set to release its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, July 31st. Analysts expect AutoNation to post earnings of $4.70 per share for the quarter. Persons that are interested in registering for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 42.44% and a net margin of 3.41%. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.05 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect AutoNation to post $18 EPS for the current fiscal year and $19 EPS for the next fiscal year.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $178.07 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $167.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.21. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $182.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

AutoNation announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Friday, April 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total value of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $184.43.

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.