Deutsche Bank AG Raises Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 23.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,822 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,981 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $6,772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% in the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 4,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $796,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in AutoNation by 9.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.9%

AN stock opened at $206.10 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50-day moving average is $200.30 and its 200 day moving average is $184.90. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $217.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.99 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AN. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 price target (up previously from $195.00) on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Bank of America increased their price target on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $223.25.

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.