KBC Group NV Acquires 255 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,103 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 255 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% in 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 during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AN shares. Guggenheim cut their price target on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Cfra Research raised AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.75.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN opened at $212.45 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $187.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.27. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $213.38. The company has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.08% and a net margin of 2.51%. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.49 EPS. Equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal 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.