Bridgewater Associates LP Boosts Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 42.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,373 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,140 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned about 0.23% of AutoNation worth $15,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AN. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $38,136,000. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 160,794 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $13,239,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $7,836,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AN. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Stephens increased their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, 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, February 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $3.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $166.03. 438,246 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 456,908. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $171.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.72. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $198.50. The firm has a market cap of $6.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, 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.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current 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.