AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on AN. 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 report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens raised their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup raised AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $188.73 on Friday. AutoNation has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $168.22 and its 200 day moving average is $173.74. The stock has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion for 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%. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 581.8% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its stake in AutoNation by 150.8% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Curat Global LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. 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.