Voya Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,176 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 104.2% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,000 after acquiring an additional 3,001 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 95.3% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $850,000 after acquiring an additional 2,561 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 987 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth about $5,162,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 7,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.63.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.7%

AN opened at $217.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $211.32 and its 200-day moving average is $192.17. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $228.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.99 earnings per share. Analysts expect 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.