AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore ISI Analyst Says

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price target upped by analysts at Evercore ISI from $220.00 to $240.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI’s price objective points to a potential upside of 24.43% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on AN. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens increased their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.57.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $192.89. 48,685 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 451,153. AutoNation has a 1 year low of $136.35 and a 1 year high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $180.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.51. The firm has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 16.74 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,172,000 after acquiring an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its stake in AutoNation by 422.7% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in AutoNation by 63.0% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Cartenna Capital LP purchased a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,831,000. Finally, Simcoe Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter worth approximately $42,255,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

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.