AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Trading Down 5.2% After Analyst Downgrade

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) dropped 5.2% on Thursday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $195.00 to $175.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. AutoNation traded as low as $161.68 and last traded at $161.77. Approximately 218,659 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 436,250 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.72.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on AN. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens lifted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 11,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,999,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 6.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,413,000 after buying an additional 19,015 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 21,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,935,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

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 company has a market cap of $6.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.48, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.72.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. Sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.