Pinebridge Investments L.P. Buys New Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,900,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 77.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AN. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.75.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.9 %

AN stock traded up $1.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $176.54. 313,213 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 454,857. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a PE ratio of 10.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $168.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.49 EPS. AutoNation's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.