Citigroup Cuts AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target to $255.00

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target decreased by Citigroup from $290.00 to $255.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Stephens upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $255.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Argus boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.50.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $164.84 on Monday. 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 $202.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a PE ratio of 7.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.72. AutoNation has a 52-week low of $164.70 and a 52-week high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.24% and a net margin of 2.82%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. Analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Redwood Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA increased its stake in AutoNation by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA now owns 2,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 33.0% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 73.9% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is a leading automotive retailer in the United States. The company sells new and used vehicles through a network of franchised dealerships and provides automotive services including vehicle financing, insurance products, maintenance, repair, parts, and collision-repair services.

In addition to its manufacturer-branded dealerships, AutoNation operates AutoNation USA locations focused primarily on used vehicles and offers digital tools that allow customers to research, purchase, finance, and service vehicles online.