Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 3,001 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 104.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners raised its holdings in AutoNation by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock worth $309,312,000 after acquiring an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock worth $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock worth $187,662,000 after acquiring an additional 426,882 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in AutoNation by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company's stock worth $144,682,000 after buying an additional 160,794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in AutoNation by 422.7% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $211.94 on Thursday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $212.35. The company's fifty day moving average price is $187.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.99.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for 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 revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

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.

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