AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Short Interest Down 13.2% in November

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) saw a significant decrease in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,980,000 shares, a decrease of 13.2% from the November 15th total of 2,280,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 486,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days. Approximately 7.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.29.

AutoNation Stock Down 1.3 %

AN opened at $172.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.24. AutoNation has a 12 month low of $133.13 and a 12 month high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The business has a 50-day moving average of $168.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.41.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AN. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,910,000 after purchasing an additional 41,712 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in AutoNation by 2.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,804,000 after buying an additional 19,037 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,607,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 4.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 433,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,623,000 after acquiring an additional 18,588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 19,015 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

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.