Sei Investments Co. Buys 1,253 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,697 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,253 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 142.2% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,138,000 after acquiring an additional 43,113 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,566,000 after buying an additional 6,277 shares during the period. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $255,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,239,000. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 97.4% in the 4th quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 11,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,977,000 after purchasing an additional 5,742 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens lifted their price target on 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 research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.86.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.5 %

AN opened at $158.63 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.36, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.08 and a 12 month high of $198.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $177.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.61.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.