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

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.05 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN opened at $169.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $153.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.64. AutoNation has a 1 year low of $123.81 and a 1 year high of $182.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reduced their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the business’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 transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the business’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 transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 121,279 shares of company stock valued at $19,361,962 in the last three months. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by 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.