Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes $7.84 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 46,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,836,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.12% of AutoNation at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 142.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company's stock worth $55,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,277 shares in the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,239,000. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 97.4% during the fourth quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 11,640 shares of the company's stock worth $1,977,000 after purchasing an additional 5,742 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stephens boosted 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, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $198.43.

AutoNation Trading Up 3.4 %

NYSE:AN opened at $169.03 on Wednesday. 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 price of $170.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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