JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock Price

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its target price cut by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $195.00 to $175.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Stephens raised their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $158.94 on Thursday. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $150.08 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $179.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.72. The firm has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in AutoNation by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $657,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

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.