AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $204.71.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens boosted 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. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% during the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,172,000 after buying an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in AutoNation by 422.7% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,658,000 after acquiring an additional 465,000 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its position in AutoNation by 63.0% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,662,000 after acquiring an additional 426,882 shares during the period. Cartenna Capital LP acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth about $56,831,000. Finally, Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,255,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $183.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $139.54 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.