AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $205.75.

Several research analysts recently commented on AN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock opened at $199.81 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $183.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $178.05. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $201.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. The company has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.99.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.08% and a net margin of 2.51%. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Curat Global LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% during 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

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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