Guggenheim Capital LLC Decreases Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Guggenheim Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 76.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,967 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,262 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in AutoNation by 142.2% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company's stock worth $13,138,000 after buying an additional 43,113 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in AutoNation by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company's stock worth $55,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,277 shares in the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $255,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $13,239,000. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 97.4% in the fourth quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 11,640 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,977,000 after purchasing an additional 5,742 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.0 %

AN stock traded up $1.78 during trading on Friday, reaching $175.14. 1,273,275 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 461,218. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a PE ratio of 10.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The business's 50 day moving average price is $169.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.60. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.49 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

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.