AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $233.50.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AN. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AN. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in AutoNation by 2,477.8% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 81.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN opened at $194.23 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $216.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $201.65. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $228.92. The company has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.79.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.02 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, October 31st that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.