SG Americas Securities LLC Has $1.74 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 61.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,436 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,569 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,742,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. HM Payson & Co. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 355.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 2,477.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of AN stock opened at $197.61 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $198.07 and a 200-day moving average of $205.91. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $228.92. The company has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $233.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.67.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.