AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Holdings Lifted by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. by 66.4% in Q1, acquiring 5,506 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 13,804 shares valued at approximately $2.23 million.
• AutoNation reported a strong quarterly performance with earnings per share of $5.46, exceeding estimates by $0.76, alongside revenues of $6.97 billion, higher than expected.
• Analysts have generally positive outlooks on AutoNation, with target prices ranging from $200 to $255, indicating an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 66.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,804 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,506 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,235,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the first quarter worth $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 56.8% in 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 increased its position in AutoNation by 762.6% in the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 923 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 816 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AN. Bank of America boosted their price target on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.13.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE:AN traded down $1.50 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $194.01. 206,382 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 490,474. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The company has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.89. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $148.33 and a 12 month high of $217.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $197.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $184.05.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company's revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS 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.