AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Bought by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,358 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,191,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AN. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in AutoNation by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,681,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,836,000. Capital Fund Management S.A. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 30,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,200,000 after acquiring an additional 5,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $198.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.89. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $217.40. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $198.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.99 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation 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.