Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 131,411 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,036,834 shares of the company’s stock after selling 131,411 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of AutoNation worth $515,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $657,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Davis Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its position in AutoNation by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $161.92 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.08 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $179.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.83.

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

AutoNation 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.