Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 628 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,455 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $3,644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 403.6% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 54.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 28.1% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 802 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN opened at $191.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $179.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.37. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $136.35 and a 52-week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 32.01%. As a group, analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 16.74 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.71.

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.