AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $163.20, but opened at $157.77. AutoNation shares last traded at $157.96, with a volume of 143,560 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on AN. Stephens began coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.38.

AutoNation Trading Down 6.7 %

The company has a market cap of $6.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.34, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $170.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $167.72.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The firm had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was 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 $696,441,036.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total transaction of $91,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 93,256 shares of company stock worth $17,641,954 in the last quarter. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 90.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 79.7% in the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 498.5% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.