Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 2,561 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 95.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,247 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,561 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on AN. Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.88.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN stock traded up $3.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $203.37. 970,885 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 487,572. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $195.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $182.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.99. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $217.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.08% and a net margin of 2.51%. AutoNation's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.99 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current 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.