AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.04 EPS

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) posted its earnings results on Friday. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04, RTT News reports. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.05 earnings per share. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

AutoNation Stock Up 5.9 %

NYSE:AN traded up $9.50 on Friday, hitting $169.88. 1,532,500 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 461,419. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $154.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $182.08. The company has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.24.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total transaction of $549,438.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at $925,259.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 121,279 shares of company stock valued at $19,361,962. 0.74% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.