AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $152.39 and last traded at $153.26, with a volume of 23,617 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $155.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. Stephens lifted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $248.00 to $213.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.00.

AutoNation Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.04.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.24% and a net margin of 2.82%. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.26 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Davis Capital Management increased its position in AutoNation by 0.7% during the third quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter worth about $205,000. Marathon Mission Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. Marathon Mission Inc. now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,251,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is an automotive retailer headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company sells new and used vehicles through a network of franchised dealerships representing a range of major automotive brands, as well as through digital retailing channels.

In addition to vehicle sales, AutoNation provides automotive maintenance and repair, parts, collision repair, vehicle protection products, financing assistance and other related services. Its operations support customers throughout the vehicle ownership cycle, from purchase and financing to routine service and repairs.

The company traces its origins to Republic Industries, which entered the automotive retail business in the 1990s and adopted the AutoNation name in 1998.