AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $248.6667.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Stephens upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $193.81 on Tuesday. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $228.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $206.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $210.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a PE ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 355.3% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AutoNation

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.