Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 122.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,133 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,788 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock worth $309,312,000 after buying an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $248,172,000 after buying an additional 488,904 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings 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 worth $187,662,000 after buying an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company's stock worth $144,682,000 after buying an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock worth $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.9%

AN stock traded up $1.64 during trading on Friday, reaching $182.23. 423,290 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 458,511. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $172.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.30. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $198.50. The firm has a market capitalization 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 (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.49 EPS. The business's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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. Stephens upped their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $200.75.

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.