AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Stephens upped their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $179.77 on Friday. 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 $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $167.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.51. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.