AutoNation Fourth Quarter Earnings Sneak Peek

S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY) component AutoNation (NYSE:AN) will unveil its latest earnings tomorrow, Thursday, January 31, 2013. AutoNation offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles, parts and automotive repair, and maintenance services, as well as automotive finance and insurance products.

AutoNation Earnings Preview Cheat Sheet

Wall St. Earnings Expectations: The average analyst estimate is for net income of 65 cents per share, a rise of 27.5% from the company’s actual earnings for the year-ago quarter. During the past three months, the average estimate has moved up from 63 cents. Between one and three months ago, the average estimate was unchanged. It has risen during the last month. Analysts are projecting profit to rise by 29.4% compared to last year’s $2.51.

Past Earnings Performance: The company missed estimates last quarter after beating forecasts in the prior two. In the third quarter, the company reported profit of 66 cents per share versus a mean estimate of net income of 67 cents per share. In the second quarter, the company beat estimates by 6 cents.

Start 2013 better than ever by saving time and making money with your Limited Time Offer for our highly-acclaimed Stock Picker Newsletter. Click here for our fresh Feature Stock Pick now!

A Look Back: In the third quarter, profit rose 15.4% to $81.6 million (66 cents a share) from $70.7 million (48 cents a share) the year earlier, but fell short analyst expectations. Revenue rose 12.6% to $3.93 billion from $3.49 billion.

Here’s how AutoNation traded following its last earnings report 3 months ago and leading up to its upcoming earnings report this week: