AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target Increased to $190.00 by Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its target price raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $160.00 to $190.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 22.55% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their price target on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $192.00.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock traded down $8.84 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $155.04. The stock had a trading volume of 189,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 412,980. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $171.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 7.26, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). The firm had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.29 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation will post 17.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value of $7,189,355.42. Following the transaction, 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 quarter, insiders sold 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter valued at about $170,270,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,748,000. Eminence Capital LP boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 261,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,338,000 after purchasing an additional 119,866 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 2nd quarter valued at $15,832,000. Finally, Lodge Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth about $15,141,000. 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.