Prosperitas Financial LLC Boosts Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Prosperitas Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,363 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,267 shares during the period. Prosperitas Financial LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 403.6% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens raised 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. StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $180.65 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $182.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.38. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $143.83 and a 1-year high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. As a group, analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current 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.