Vision Financial Markets LLC Invests $2.52 Million in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 14,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,000. AutoNation comprises about 2.7% of Vision Financial Markets LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% during the fourth 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 period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 403.6% during the third 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 period. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter worth $201,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AN shares. Stephens lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.6 %

AN stock opened at $174.50 on Thursday. 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 market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $182.35 and a 200-day moving average of $174.53. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $143.88 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.