Vident Advisory LLC Increases Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in AutoNation, Inc. by 93.2% during the first quarter, adding 1,726 shares to reach a total of 3,578 shares, valued at $579,000.
• AutoNation reported $5.46 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $4.70, with revenues of $6.97 billion, a 7.6% increase year-over-year.
• Several analysts have upgraded their price targets for AutoNation, with Bank of America raising it from $225 to $255, indicating a positive outlook from multiple institutions.

Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 93.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,578 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,726 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $579,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AN. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,407 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $404,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in AutoNation by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 82,982 shares of the company's stock worth $14,094,000 after purchasing an additional 2,372 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in AutoNation by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 52,599 shares of the company's stock worth $8,933,000 after purchasing an additional 6,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $503,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN stock traded up $4.08 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $227.33. 254,903 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 475,154. The firm has a market cap of $8.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $208.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.46. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for 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 firm's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.99 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Two investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.63.

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.