AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have given AutoNation, Inc. a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy," with an average 12-month price target of $223.25.
• Recent adjustments in price targets by several major firms include Morgan Stanley increasing its target from $195 to $220, while Bank of America raised theirs from $225 to $255.
• AutoNation reported a 7.6% year-over-year revenue increase with quarterly earnings per share of $5.46, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.70.

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $223.25.

A number of research firms have weighed in on AN. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AN. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter worth $62,613,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 144.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 416,167 shares of the company's stock worth $65,950,000 after acquiring an additional 245,994 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth $36,060,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in AutoNation by 7.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,256,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,261,000 after purchasing an additional 219,474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 219.6% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 316,923 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,957,000 after purchasing an additional 217,774 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN opened at $227.32 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.24, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.88. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $207.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The company's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.99 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.

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