AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Trading Down 4.9%

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)’s share price fell 4.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $155.30 and last traded at $155.78. 51,806 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 412,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $192.00.

AutoNation Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $171.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.29 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total value of $4,083,789.87. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744 in the last ninety days. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First United Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 90.6% during 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. 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.