AutoNation (NYSE:AN) PT Raised to $169.00

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target raised by research analysts at Guggenheim from $165.00 to $169.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Guggenheim’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 9.37% from the company’s current price.

AN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.00.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN opened at $154.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 6.82, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24. AutoNation has a twelve month low of $123.81 and a twelve month high of $182.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $152.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. AutoNation’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.37 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $672,013,960.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 501,776 shares of company stock worth $73,818,692 over the last ninety days. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Point72 Europe London LLP acquired a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth $33,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.