Vanguard Group Inc. Has $515.78 Million Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,036,834 shares of the company's stock after selling 131,411 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 7.66% of AutoNation worth $515,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 9.7% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 21,994 shares of the company's stock worth $3,935,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,862 shares of the company's stock worth $4,627,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,783 shares of the company's stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,419,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

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AutoNation Stock Performance

AN traded down $0.74 during trading on Friday, reaching $158.63. 688,564 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,014. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $150.08 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.36, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $177.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.63.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. As a group, analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on AN. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens increased their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.86.

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.