South Dakota Investment Council Has $12.41 Million Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

South Dakota Investment Council grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 73,094 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,932 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council owned about 0.18% of AutoNation worth $12,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 142.2% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $585,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company's stock worth $57,413,000 after acquiring an additional 19,015 shares during the period. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $255,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,239,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of AutoNation stock traded down $1.28 on Wednesday, reaching $182.21. 369,104 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 450,241. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $143.17 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $181.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.28.

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AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. On average, analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AN shares. Stephens upped their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $204.71.

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.