Edgestream Partners L.P. Acquires Shares of 9,613 AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 9,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,633,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its holdings in AutoNation by 142.2% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $585,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 6.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,413,000 after purchasing an additional 19,015 shares during the period. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,239,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens lifted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.71.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock opened at $164.79 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 9.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $147.31 and a 12-month high of $198.50. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $182.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.48.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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.