Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 104.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,882 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,001 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $952,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:AN traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $212.45. 253,251 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 459,155. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.99. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $213.38. The firm's 50 day moving average is $188.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.08% and a net margin of 2.51%. AutoNation's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.75.

AutoNation Company 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.