AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Stephens

Stephens initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) in a research report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on AN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore ISI increased 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. Bank of America boosted their price target on AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $194.25.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $160.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $171.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.20. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS 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 business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.29 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 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 owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value of $7,189,355.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744 in the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors 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.