AutoNation (AN) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Friday

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) is set to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Friday, April 26th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $4.49 per share for the quarter. Individual interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The business had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.37 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect AutoNation to post $19 EPS for the current fiscal year and $20 EPS for the next fiscal year.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $159.52 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $182.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $153.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AN shares. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Guggenheim increased their target price on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.00.

Insider Activity

In other AutoNation news, Director Jacqueline A. Travisano sold 3,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.98, for a total value of $539,563.58. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $908,630.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline A. Travisano sold 3,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.98, for a total transaction of $539,563.58. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $908,630.36. 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 ninety days. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.