7,560 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN Bought by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Howard Capital Management purchased a new position of 7,560 shares in AutoNation during Q4, worth about $1.56 million, and institutional investors now own 94.62% of the stock.
• AutoNation reported quarterly EPS of $5.08, beating the $4.91 estimate, while revenue of $6.93 billion missed forecasts and was down 3.9% year‑over‑year.
• Analyst sentiment is constructive — MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $246.89 and several recent price‑target upgrades.

Howard Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,561,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter worth $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter worth $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 355.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $200.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $196.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $205.23. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.29 and a 1 year high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.91 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.69% and a net margin of 2.35%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.97 EPS. Analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. Stephens upped their price target on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AutoNation from $233.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AutoNation from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $235.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $280.00 to $269.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $246.89.

AutoNation Profile

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.

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