AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock Price Down 5.2% After Analyst Downgrade

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)’s share price traded down 5.2% on Thursday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $195.00 to $175.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. AutoNation traded as low as $161.68 and last traded at $161.77. 218,659 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average session volume of 436,250 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.72.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on AN. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. 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 note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.86.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 581.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 16.4% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.7 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $179.76 and a 200 day moving average of $173.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.38, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

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.