Northern Trust Corp Grows Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 42.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 276,355 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 82,536 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.70% of AutoNation worth $46,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 5.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,987 shares of the company's stock worth $7,870,000 after buying an additional 2,263 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,370,000 after purchasing an additional 6,558 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 2,030 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $207,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE AN traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $179.77. 268,453 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 455,829. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a PE ratio of 10.61, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $167.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.51.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. AutoNation's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.49 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens increased their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given 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 $200.75.

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.