Norges Bank Purchases Shares of 224,540 AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Norges Bank acquired a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 224,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,136,000. Norges Bank owned 0.57% of AutoNation as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company's stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $197,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com downgraded AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Stephens upped their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.86.

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AutoNation Trading Down 4.4 %

Shares of AN traded down $7.70 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $165.61. The stock had a trading volume of 79,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 456,329. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $198.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $175.07 and a 200 day moving average of $173.23. The company has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share 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.