O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Buys 3,566 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,963 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,566 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $3,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $38,136,000. Boston Partners increased its holdings in AutoNation by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock worth $309,312,000 after acquiring an additional 203,335 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,239,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,836,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 142.2% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company's stock worth $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Evercore ISI raised their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Stephens lifted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $201.86.

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AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock traded up $4.77 on Tuesday, reaching $162.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 138,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 453,420. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $177.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.51. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $198.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. Analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.