Barclays PLC Has $8.57 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Barclays PLC increased its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 14.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,433 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,446 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.13% of AutoNation worth $8,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company's stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Davis Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,703 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,648,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price target on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.75.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AN traded up $0.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $172.57. 70,860 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 454,749. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company's 50 day moving average is $168.74 and its 200 day moving average is $172.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.49 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current 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.