Deutsche Bank AG Cuts Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Deutsche Bank AG cut its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 37.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,841 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,620 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.09% of AutoNation worth $5,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% during the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock worth $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock worth $97,658,000 after acquiring an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock worth $187,662,000 after acquiring an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Cartenna Capital LP purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $56,831,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,136,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on AN. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim lowered their target price 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. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock traded up $1.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $182.23. The stock had a trading volume of 423,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 459,321. The firm has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76, a P/E/G 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 business's 50-day moving average is $172.19 and its 200 day moving average is $175.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.49 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share 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.