StockNews.com Upgrades AutoNation (NYSE:AN) to "Buy"

StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Guggenheim decreased their price target on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $200.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE AN traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $190.84. The company had a trading volume of 47,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 455,341. The company has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. 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 50-day moving average price of $168.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.96. AutoNation has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.49 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st 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 period. Institutional investors 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.