31,877 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Purchased by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

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

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AN. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock worth $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock worth $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock worth $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company's stock worth $144,682,000 after purchasing an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock worth $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.9%

AN opened at $196.58 on Monday. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.41 billion, a PE ratio of 11.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.99. The business's 50 day moving average price is $181.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.77.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.08% and a net margin of 2.51%. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.49 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.75.

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.

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