AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $243.6667.

AN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on AutoNation from $225.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 0.3% during the second quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 21,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,239,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,117,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $204.31 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $211.76 and its 200-day moving average is $210.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a PE ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 0.88. AutoNation has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92.

AutoNation declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, October 31st that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.