AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $4.49, RTT News reports. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.05 EPS.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock traded up $12.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $172.75. 898,247 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 453,003. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $182.08. The company has a market cap of $7.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.63, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $153.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $925,259.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $925,259.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on AN. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. 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 report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

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.