AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Stephens

Stephens assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock.

AN has been the subject of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $194.25.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $166.96 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 7.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.99. AutoNation has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.78.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). The firm had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.29 EPS. Research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 90.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently 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.