Cwm LLC Increases Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Cwm LLC significantly increased its stake in AutoNation, Inc. by 108.9% during the second quarter, now holding 12,152 shares valued at approximately $2.4 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard and AQR Capital Management, have also boosted their positions in AutoNation, highlighting strong interest from major shareholders.
• Analysts have varied opinions on AutoNation, with price targets ranging from $200 to $228 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", reflecting ongoing confidence in the company despite mixed ratings.

Cwm LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 108.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,152 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,335 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,256,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,261,000 after purchasing an additional 219,474 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,964,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,749,000 after acquiring an additional 149,959 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 676,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,550,000 after acquiring an additional 15,112 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 144.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 416,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,950,000 after acquiring an additional 245,994 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,060,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AN. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AutoNation from $221.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $225.63.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $214.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $228.92. The company has a market capitalization of $8.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $217.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.84.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. The firm 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 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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