Ameriprise Financial Inc. Boosts Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 82,982 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,372 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of AutoNation worth $14,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in AutoNation by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $657,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of AN opened at $190.17 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’s 50-day moving average is $169.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.52. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $198.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.23, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AN. Stephens increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.75.

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.