Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 1,813 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 54.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,172 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,813 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth about $38,136,000. Boston Partners boosted its stake in AutoNation by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,312,000 after buying an additional 203,335 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in AutoNation by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,682,000 after acquiring an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,239,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,836,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $158.63 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $150.08 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The firm has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $177.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.61.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on AN. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.86.

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.