Guggenheim Reaffirms Buy Rating for AutoNation (NYSE:AN)

AutoNation (NYSE:AN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by analysts at Guggenheim in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.71.

AutoNation Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE AN traded down $4.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $191.15. 56,753 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 447,211. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $136.35 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The stock has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 32.01%. On average, analysts expect that AutoNation will post 16.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its position in AutoNation by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 403.6% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 54.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 77.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.