11,186 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Purchased by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

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

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AN. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 5.4% in 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. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 16.4% in 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 period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter valued at $242,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 48.3% during the third 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 period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its stake in AutoNation by 142.2% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company's stock worth $13,138,000 after buying an additional 43,113 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $1.52 during trading on Friday, reaching $176.54. The stock had a trading volume of 368,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 455,754. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $168.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.42, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on AN shares. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Cfra Research raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.75.

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.