Nuveen LLC Invests $36.06 Million in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. by purchasing 222,700 shares, valued at approximately $36 million, constituting about 0.59% of the company's stock.
• AutoNation's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $5.46, surpassing estimates, with a revenue of $6.97 billion, reflecting a 7.6% year-over-year increase.
• Analysts have set new price targets for AutoNation, with Bank of America increasing theirs from $225 to $255, indicating a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $223.25.

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 222,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $36,060,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.59% of AutoNation as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Curat Global LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 762.6% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 923 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.6%

AN stock traded up $3.2880 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $210.4680. 267,647 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 483,715. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $217.40. The company has a market cap of $7.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.89. The stock's fifty day moving average is $200.66 and its 200-day moving average is $184.98.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of several research reports. Guggenheim reduced their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.25.

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.