Wells Fargo & Company Cuts AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target to $176.00

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $194.00 to $176.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on AN. StockNews.com downgraded AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Stephens boosted their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $169.01 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $6.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.98, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $169.85 and its 200 day moving average is $172.55. AutoNation has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. Research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,172,000 after acquiring an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 422.7% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in AutoNation by 63.0% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares in the last quarter. Cartenna Capital LP acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,831,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,136,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

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.