Boston Partners Buys 203,335 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned 4.58% of AutoNation worth $309,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 77.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company's stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth about $197,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.71.

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AutoNation Stock Up 0.8 %

AutoNation stock traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $167.02. The stock had a trading volume of 443,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 436,311. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.08 and a 12 month high of $198.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.86, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $180.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued 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, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company 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.