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. The company also provides automotive finance and insurance products comprising vehicle services and other protection products, as well as arranges finance for vehicle purchases through third-party finance sources. As of December 31, 2021, it owned and operated 339 new vehicle franchises from 247 stores located primarily in metropolitan markets in the Sunbelt region. The company also owned and operated 57 AutoNation-branded collision centers, 9 AutoNation USA used vehicle stores, 4 AutoNation-branded automotive auction operations, and 3 parts distribution centers. AutoNation, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms have recently weighed in on AN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on AutoNation from $150.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday, July 15th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded AutoNation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 25th. Truist Financial upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, April 25th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on AutoNation from $205.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on AutoNation to $159.00 in a report on Friday, July 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $152.29.
AutoNation Stock Down 1.0 %
Shares of NYSE:AN traded down $1.19 during trading on Monday, reaching $123.52. 340,713 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 833,147. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.44. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $96.56 and a 1-year high of $133.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $116.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.44. The firm has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.11.
AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 21st. The company reported $6.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.96 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 62.96% and a net margin of 5.59%. AutoNation's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.83 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 24.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation
In other news, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.23, for a total transaction of $120,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 49,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,961,484.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total transaction of $22,308,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,501,586 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $836,726,902.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert R. Grusky sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.23, for a total value of $120,230.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 49,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,961,484.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 685,577 shares of company stock worth $78,040,100 in the last quarter. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.