Stephens Initiates Coverage on AutoNation (NYSE:AN)

Research analysts at Stephens initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Stephens’ price target points to a potential upside of 32.35% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Guggenheim upped their price objective on AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Bank of America upped their price objective on AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.25.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.2 %

AN opened at $158.67 on Thursday. AutoNation has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $197.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a PE ratio of 7.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $171.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.78.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 17.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total value of $10,361,568.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at $740,108,361.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 3,825,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744 over the last quarter. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in AutoNation by 2.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,910,000 after purchasing an additional 41,712 shares during the period. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the first quarter valued at about $170,270,000. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in AutoNation by 0.6% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,350 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in AutoNation by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 300,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,203,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,748,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.