AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Stake Raised by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 74.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,705 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,156 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners lifted its stake in AutoNation by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,804,000 after acquiring an additional 19,037 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 433,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,623,000 after acquiring an additional 18,588 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Simcoe Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth $42,255,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE AN opened at $163.34 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 firm has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.65. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.08 and a 52-week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AN shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.