Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Grows Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 476.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 84,576 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 69,897 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 0.22% of AutoNation worth $13,881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,580 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,227,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company's stock worth $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% during 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, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 4,918 shares of the company's stock worth $796,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of AN stock traded up $0.46 on Friday, hitting $212.45. The company had a trading volume of 253,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 459,155. The stock's 50-day moving average is $188.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $8.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.99. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $213.38.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on AN. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Cfra Research raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.