Analysts Set AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Price Target at $200.38

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $200.38.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $162.00 on Friday. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $197.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.19.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.29 EPS. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that AutoNation will post 17.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total transaction of $91,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value of $7,189,355.42. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at $694,492,393.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total value of $91,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 93,256 shares of company stock worth $17,641,954. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at $369,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 359.0% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 398.3% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 458 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.8% during the first quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

About AutoNation

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.