AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by Pecaut & CO.

Pecaut & CO. cut its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,520 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,425 shares during the period. AutoNation comprises approximately 1.6% of Pecaut & CO.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Pecaut & CO.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $4,674,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AN. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in AutoNation by 142.2% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $585,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in AutoNation by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,413,000 after purchasing an additional 19,015 shares during the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $255,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $13,239,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of 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 upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE AN opened at $165.86 on Friday. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $181.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.60. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.08 and a 12 month high of $198.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32.

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

AutoNation 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.