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

Key Points

• Analysts' consensus: 11 brokerages give AutoNation a "Moderate Buy" (7 buys, 3 holds, 1 strong buy) with an average 1-year price target of about $244.33.
• Shares opened at $205.27 with a market cap of $7.05B and a P/E of 12.03; the company beat quarterly EPS estimates ($5.08 vs. $4.91) but missed revenue expectations and saw revenue decline 3.9% year‑over‑year.
• Institutional ownership is very high (94.62%), and several large funds materially increased positions recently, notably Northwestern Mutual which added roughly 4.42 million shares (~$913.6M).

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven 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 $244.3333.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on AutoNation from $280.00 to $269.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America started coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on AutoNation from $233.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of AutoNation from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $235.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $205.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.81. AutoNation has a 52-week low of $155.29 and a 52-week high of $228.92. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $195.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $204.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.91 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.69% and a net margin of 2.35%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.97 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 21.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company's stock valued at $913,557,000 after acquiring an additional 4,422,133 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,319,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 260.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company's stock worth $73,064,000 after acquiring an additional 241,265 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 51.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,439,000 after purchasing an additional 215,577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in AutoNation by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,034,000 after purchasing an additional 151,966 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.

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