AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE lessened its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 44.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,626 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,315 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $263,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,172,000 after acquiring an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,662,000 after acquiring an additional 426,882 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,658,000 after acquiring an additional 465,000 shares in the last quarter. Cartenna Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,831,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 276,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,936,000 after acquiring an additional 82,536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $208.08 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $199.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.89. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $217.40.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens lifted their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Bank of America lifted their target price on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Three 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $223.25.

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.