AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock Rating Upgraded by Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Morgan Stanley currently has $200.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $145.00.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on AN. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an overweight rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $201.75.

AutoNation Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE:AN opened at $182.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $173.00 and a 200 day moving average of $166.88. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). The firm had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The business’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.29 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total value of $17,621,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at $683,777,090.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at $683,777,090.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value of $7,189,355.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at $694,492,393.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 90.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 79.7% in the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.