JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Price Target to $175.00

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its price objective cut by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $195.00 to $175.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 7.36% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on AN. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AN traded down $7.71 during trading on Thursday, reaching $163.01. The stock had a trading volume of 154,369 shares, compared to its average volume of 435,958. AutoNation has a 52 week low of $150.08 and a 52 week high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $180.68 and its 200 day moving average is $173.72. The stock has a market cap of $6.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 16.4% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About AutoNation

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.