Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Acquires New Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 31,877 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,162,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.08% of AutoNation as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 762.6% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 923 shares of the company's stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in AutoNation by 1.5% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 9,960 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,613,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 104.2% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,882 shares of the company's stock worth $952,000 after buying an additional 3,001 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 2.7% in the first quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 4,948 shares of the company's stock worth $801,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 1.6% in the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 4,918 shares of the company's stock worth $796,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America increased their price objective on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.75.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $199.98. The company had a trading volume of 296,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 458,862. The firm has a market cap of $7.54 billion, a PE ratio of 11.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.99. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $208.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.21.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.08% and a net margin of 2.51%. The firm's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.49 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About AutoNation

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.