Ameriprise Financial Inc. Buys 2,372 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 82,982 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,372 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.21% of AutoNation worth $14,094,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth about $197,000. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth about $207,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AN. Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $200.75.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN traded up $1.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $182.23. 423,290 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 458,511. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average of $172.19 and a 200-day moving average of $175.30.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. 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 business posted $4.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.