Stephens Raises AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target to $200.00

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target upped by Stephens from $195.00 to $200.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Stephens’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.33% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AutoNation from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.29.

AutoNation Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:AN opened at $191.70 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.24. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $136.35 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 32.01%. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AN. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 54.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 28.1% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth $313,000. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 12.9% in the third quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 4,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $776,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AutoNation

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.