Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 2,509 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,635 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,509 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 403.6% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 16.4% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter worth approximately $201,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AN. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $180.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $143.83 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $182.08 and a 200-day moving average of $174.38.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current 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.