AutoNation (NYSE:AN) PT Lowered to $215.00 at Bank of America

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by analysts at Bank of America from $220.00 to $215.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Bank of America's price target indicates a potential upside of 39.22% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on AN. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.25.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN traded down $5.84 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $154.43. The stock had a trading volume of 546,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 433,218. The company's 50-day moving average price is $151.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.92. The company has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $182.08.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.67 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.37 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 19.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 380,497 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total transaction of $54,456,730.64. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,278,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at $612,362,391.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 380,497 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total transaction of $54,456,730.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,278,664 shares in the company, valued at $612,362,391.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 501,776 shares of company stock valued at $73,818,692 over the last ninety days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in AutoNation by 13.8% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 13,667 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,361,000 after buying an additional 1,656 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC bought a new position in AutoNation during the first quarter valued at about $215,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its position in AutoNation by 2.8% during the first quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 11,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,177,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 47.0% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,081 shares of the company's stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 1,625 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 33.6% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 25,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,577,000 after buying an additional 6,508 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.