Seaport Res Ptn Has Positive View of AutoNation Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Seaport Res Ptn has raised its Q3 2025 EPS estimate for AutoNation to $4.70, slightly up from a previous estimate of $4.68, while the full-year earnings estimate is set at $18.15.
• Several research firms have upgraded their ratings on AutoNation, with Citigroup assigning a "strong-buy" rating and others adjusting target prices, indicating strong analyst confidence in the stock.
• AutoNation recently reported earnings of $5.46 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and has shown a 7.6% increase in quarterly revenue compared to the previous year.

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lifted their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of AutoNation in a research note issued on Monday, August 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $4.70 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $4.68. The consensus estimate for AutoNation's current full-year earnings is $18.15 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for AutoNation's FY2025 earnings at $19.85 EPS.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.99 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on AN. Guggenheim dropped their price target on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Cfra Research raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.25.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of AN traded down $1.90 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $206.10. The stock had a trading volume of 339,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 512,491. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.90. AutoNation has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $217.40. The firm has a market cap of $7.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 50.3% during the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock worth $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock worth $97,658,000 after acquiring an additional 465,000 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock worth $187,662,000 after acquiring an additional 426,882 shares during the period. Cartenna Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,831,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter worth approximately $62,613,000. 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.