AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Given New $232.00 Price Target at Stephens

Key Points

• Stephens raised AutoNation’s price target to $232 from $220 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying approximately 10.82% upside. Analysts overall give the stock a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average target of $248.36.
• AutoNation reported quarterly EPS of $5.56, exceeding the $5.48 consensus estimate, while revenue came in at $6.93 billion, slightly below expectations and down 0.6% year over year.
• Institutional investors own 94.62% of AutoNation’s shares, including a new position by BlackRock valued at approximately $438.7 million; meanwhile, director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares for $198,000.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by investment analysts at Stephens from $220.00 to $232.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Stephens' target price indicates a potential upside of 10.82% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on AutoNation from $235.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $248.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $248.36.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $209.35 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.71. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $235.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The business's 50-day moving average is $197.82 and its 200-day moving average is $198.37.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.48 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 21.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,757,580. This represents a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Foster & Motley Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,250,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 2nd quarter valued at about $256,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $438,689,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $671,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,376,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Company Profile

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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