AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Short Interest Down 8.8% in January

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,760,000 shares, a drop of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 1,930,000 shares. Approximately 6.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 470,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.71.

AutoNation Trading Down 4.2 %

Shares of NYSE AN traded down $7.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $181.19. 502,707 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 459,680. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.70, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.25. AutoNation has a twelve month low of $136.79 and a twelve month high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.99.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that AutoNation will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,312,000 after acquiring an additional 203,335 shares during the period. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in AutoNation by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in AutoNation by 2.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company's stock worth $152,804,000 after purchasing an additional 19,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company's stock worth $144,682,000 after buying an additional 160,794 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

About AutoNation

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.