Q3 Earnings Forecast for AutoNation Issued By Zacks Research

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of AutoNation in a research report issued on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $5.38 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $4.96. The consensus estimate for AutoNation’s current full-year earnings is $18.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AutoNation’s Q4 2026 earnings at $5.08 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $5.04 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AutoNation from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $193.56 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $214.36 and its 200 day moving average is $202.19. AutoNation has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.16. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The company had revenue of $7.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Syon Capital LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the third quarter valued at approximately $548,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 3.2% in the third quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the third quarter worth about $230,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,176,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,950,000 after purchasing an additional 34,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 55.4% during the third quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 1,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, October 31st that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.