Stephens Inc. AR Has $2.13 Million Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Stephens Inc. AR trimmed its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 63.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 12,531 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,166 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Simcoe Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,255,000. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in AutoNation in the third quarter worth approximately $20,046,000. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 739.9% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 109,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,509,000 after buying an additional 96,058 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,239,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter worth approximately $131,250,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.3 %

AN stock opened at $195.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $178.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.24. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $136.35 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced 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 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 16.74 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on AutoNation from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $195.57.

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.