StockNews.com Downgrades AutoNation (NYSE:AN) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

AN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN traded down $9.00 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $164.31. 293,899 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 457,235. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a PE ratio of 9.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. AutoNation has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $175.07 and a 200 day moving average of $173.23.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 581.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 77.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.