AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at UBS Group

Posted by Brenda Bartman on May 28th, 2026

AutoNation (NYSE:AN – Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at UBS Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on AN. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.90.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on AN

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $194.93 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $196.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $202.36. AutoNation has a 1 year low of $176.62 and a 1 year high of $228.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.68 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 21.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 192,434.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,319,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in AutoNation by 260.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,064,000 after buying an additional 241,265 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 51.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,439,000 after buying an additional 215,577 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings in AutoNation by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,034,000 after buying an additional 151,966 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AutoNation

(Get Free Report)

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.