AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives $201.86 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $201.86.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, 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 research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,312,000 after acquiring an additional 203,335 shares in the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 50.3% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted 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 buying an additional 19,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 160,794 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock opened at $162.02 on Friday. AutoNation has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $172.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a PE ratio of 9.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. On average, analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

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.