State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Increases Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 17.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,735 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,858 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,163,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $131,250,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,304 shares of the company's stock valued at $412,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in AutoNation by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 7,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,306,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth $201,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,845 shares of the company's stock worth $509,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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 upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Stephens increased their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three investment 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 currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.71.

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AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE AN traded up $1.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $183.50. The stock had a trading volume of 313,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,496. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.28. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.54 and a 52-week high of $198.50. 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 (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts forecast 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.