AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on AN. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens boosted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their price target on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Trading Up 5.0%

NYSE AN opened at $188.73 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.74. AutoNation has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.49 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,370,000 after buying an additional 6,558 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 2,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth $207,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.