AutoNation (NYSE:AN) PT Raised to $187.00 at Guggenheim

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Free Report) had its price target increased by Guggenheim from $169.00 to $187.00 in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and upped their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $178.88.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of AutoNation stock traded up $1.45 during trading on Friday, hitting $170.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 329,588 shares, compared to its average volume of 449,891. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.23. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $182.08. The stock has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $160.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $148.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 42.44%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.05 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 18.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, April 26th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 14.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,680,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total transaction of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,197,224. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 116,804 shares of company stock worth $18,832,532 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,245 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,216,000 after acquiring an additional 4,076 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 63,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,613,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the period. Capula Management Ltd grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capula Management Ltd now owns 1,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.