AutoNation, Inc. $AN Shares Bought by CreativeOne Wealth LLC

Key Points

• CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. by 71.9% in the first quarter, bringing its total shares to 7,687 worth approximately $1,245,000.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Brave Warrior Advisors LLC and Alyeska Investment Group L.P., have also significantly increased their stakes, contributing to a total institutional ownership of 94.62% in AutoNation.
• AutoNation reported strong quarterly earnings, with $5.46 earnings per share, exceeding expectations, and $6.97 billion in revenue, a 7.6% increase year-over-year.

CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 71.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,687 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,214 shares during the quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,245,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AN. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,172,000 after buying an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $187,662,000 after buying an additional 426,882 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth $36,060,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in AutoNation by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,256,308 shares of the company's stock worth $527,261,000 after purchasing an additional 219,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its stake in AutoNation by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,964,187 shares of the company's stock worth $318,749,000 after purchasing an additional 149,959 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on AN. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen raised AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.25.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock traded up $3.77 on Thursday, hitting $224.06. The stock had a trading volume of 101,180 shares, compared to its average volume of 473,808. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $224.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market cap of $8.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.89. The company's 50 day moving average price is $206.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%.The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.99 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

About AutoNation

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.