AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Now Covered by Stephens

Analysts at Stephens started coverage on shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Stephens’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 32.35% from the stock’s previous close.

AN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $194.25.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of AN opened at $158.67 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.74. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $123.81 and a 1-year high of $197.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 17.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total transaction of $10,361,568.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total transaction of $91,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total transaction of $10,361,568.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,604,000. Truist Financial Corp grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 4,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $709,000 after buying an additional 840 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 498.5% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,340,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 2nd quarter valued at about $590,000. 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.