AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.71 EPS

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71, Zacks reports. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 32.01%.

AutoNation Stock Down 1.7 %

AutoNation stock opened at $191.77 on Thursday. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $136.35 and a 12 month high of $198.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $179.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.37.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.71.

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.