Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Decreases Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC trimmed its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,698 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,633 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.16% of AutoNation worth $12,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in AutoNation by 260.2% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,064,000 after buying an additional 241,265 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 219.6% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 316,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,957,000 after acquiring an additional 217,774 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 51.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,439,000 after acquiring an additional 215,577 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,601,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,034,000 after purchasing an additional 151,966 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:AN opened at $197.61 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $198.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.91. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.91 by $0.17. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 31.69%. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.97 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $233.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Stephens upped their target price on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.67.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.