AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Announces Earnings Results

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) released its earnings results on Friday. The company reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.48 by ($0.46), reports. AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm had revenue of $6.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $155.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $170.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.39, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.19. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $197.18.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of AutoNation 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $696,441,036.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,825,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 93,256 shares of company stock worth $17,641,954. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in AutoNation by 54.1% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 51,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,568,000 after purchasing an additional 18,157 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $1,484,000. Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in AutoNation in the second quarter worth about $838,000. BOKF NA lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 39.1% in the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 53,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,808,000 after acquiring an additional 15,015 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LP bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,083,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.38.

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.