AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Given New $240.00 Price Target at Citigroup

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target reduced by equities researchers at Citigroup from $255.00 to $240.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 32.16% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered AutoNation from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on AutoNation from $248.00 to $213.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $227.50.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of AN stock traded down $4.30 on Tuesday, hitting $181.60. 207,444 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 459,802. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.78. AutoNation has a twelve month low of $151.82 and a twelve month high of $235.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $176.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.00 billion, a PE ratio of 8.74, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.08 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.93 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.01 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 21.07 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% 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 have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Redwood Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 1.1% during the first quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Davis Capital Management grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.7% in the third quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 73.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Company Profile

AutoNation, Inc is a U.S.-based automotive retailer that sells new and used vehicles through a network of dealerships and online sales channels. The company represents a range of domestic, import and luxury automotive brands, offering passenger cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles.

In addition to vehicle sales, AutoNation provides automotive maintenance and repair, parts, collision-repair services, vehicle protection products and financing options. Its retail operations include traditional dealerships as well as AutoNation USA locations, which focus primarily on used vehicles and related services.

Founded in 1996 as Republic Industries, the company adopted the AutoNation name as it developed its automotive retail business.