AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Given New $210.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan lowered AutoNation’s price target to $210 from $235 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, implying approximately 2.6% downside from the stock’s recent $215.59 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: ten analysts rate AutoNation a Buy and two rate it Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $247.45.
• AutoNation slightly exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $5.56 in EPS versus $5.48 forecast, though revenue declined 0.6% year over year to $6.93 billion. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $235.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price points to a potential downside of 2.59% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on AN. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $287.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $248.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $247.45.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AN traded up $0.16 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $215.59. The stock had a trading volume of 248,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 425,892. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $196.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.40. The company has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a PE ratio of 9.98, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.20. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $176.62 and a 12 month high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 30.91%. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 21.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 8.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,953 shares of the company's stock worth $3,070,000 after purchasing an additional 1,551 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,967,000 after buying an additional 9,656 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in AutoNation by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

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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