Brokerages Set AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Target Price at $248.67

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $248.6667.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of AutoNation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $233.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $193.34 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.89. AutoNation has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $228.92. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $207.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $210.31.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.91 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.69% and a net margin of 2.35%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.97 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,376,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 13.3% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.