Raymond James Financial Inc. Has $6.83 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Raymond James Financial Inc. cut its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,178 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,958 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of AutoNation worth $6,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AN. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,407 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,517 shares of the company's stock worth $2,636,000 after buying an additional 1,473 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 22,113 shares of the company's stock worth $3,756,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in AutoNation by 42.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 276,355 shares of the company's stock worth $46,936,000 after purchasing an additional 82,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $404,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $226.54. The company had a trading volume of 437,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,494. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market cap of $8.54 billion, a PE ratio of 14.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $207.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.64. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AN shares. Wall Street Zen raised AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their target price on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.