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

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) had its target price reduced by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $195.00 to $175.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 10.11% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on AN. Evercore ISI upped their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $158.94 on Thursday. AutoNation has a 52-week low of $150.08 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $179.76 and a 200-day moving average of $173.62. The company has a market capitalization of $6.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74.

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

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

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