Analysts Set AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Target Price at $248.67

by · The Markets Daily

Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN – Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $248.6667.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AN. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $233.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

View Our Latest Analysis on AutoNation

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 3.2% in the third quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 1.3%

AutoNation stock opened at $193.19 on Tuesday. AutoNation has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $228.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $207.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $210.41.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.91 by $0.17. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 31.69%. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.97 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.

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