Q1 EPS Estimates for AutoNation Boosted by Zacks Research

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2027 earnings estimates for AutoNation in a research note issued to investors on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $5.19 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $5.04. The consensus estimate for AutoNation’s current full-year earnings is $18.15 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on AN. Barclays assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.22.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock opened at $214.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $208.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $209.64. AutoNation has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $228.92. The stock has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, October 31st that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 1.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,176,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,950,000 after acquiring an additional 34,153 shares during the period. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,214,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,262,000 after purchasing an additional 84,455 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,460,000 after buying an additional 91,232 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 697,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,967,000 after buying an additional 66,183 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in AutoNation by 38.3% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,034,000 after buying an additional 151,966 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.