Cerity Partners LLC Sells 660 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Cerity Partners LLC trimmed its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 19.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,686 shares of the company’s stock after selling 660 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $464,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter worth about $242,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,370,000 after acquiring an additional 6,558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in AutoNation by 142.2% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AN. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens increased their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.29.

AutoNation Trading Down 1.4 %

AutoNation stock opened at $163.47 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a PE ratio of 9.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $170.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.60. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company 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.