Strs Ohio Takes $1.29 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Strs Ohio acquired a new position in AutoNation, Inc. by purchasing 7,942 shares valued at approximately $1.286 million during the first quarter, highlighting growing institutional interest in the company.
• AutoNation's stock recently increased by 0.4%, trading at $221.34, with a market capitalization of $8.35 billion and a P/E ratio of 13.87.
• Analysts have varied ratings on AutoNation, with a consensus target price of $222.63 and recent price adjustments indicating a mix of buy and hold sentiments among investment firms.

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,286,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,580 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,227,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% during the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 4,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $796,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 1.9% during the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 4,635 shares of the company's stock valued at $761,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AutoNation stock traded down $2.97 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $218.13. 942,296 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 403,028. The firm has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.89. 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 50-day moving average of $209.80 and a 200 day moving average of $190.58. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $148.33 and a 12 month high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during 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 revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.99 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. 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 report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.63.

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.