Franklin Resources Inc. Decreases Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,688 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,460 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $3,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

AutoNation Trading Up 1.0 %

AN stock opened at $167.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $6.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.91, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $174.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.10. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. On average, equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stephens increased their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.86.

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.