Cetera Investment Advisers Cuts Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Cetera Investment Advisers lowered its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,982 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,079 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,186,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted 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 valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted 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 valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted 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 valued at $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $657,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $180.49 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $198.50. 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 capitalization of $6.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $171.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.16.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Cfra Research raised AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.