StockNews.com Downgrades AutoNation (NYSE:AN) to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on AN. Guggenheim cut their price objective on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.75.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of AN traded down $0.99 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $175.77. 275,938 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 519,580. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market cap of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $168.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.04. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.49 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in AutoNation by 142.2% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in AutoNation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company's stock worth $55,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,277 shares in the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $255,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth about $13,239,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.