JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target to $175.00

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

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

AutoNation Stock Performance

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

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (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%. As a group, research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,312,000 after acquiring an additional 203,335 shares during the period. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,804,000 after purchasing an additional 19,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,682,000 after acquiring an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.