HighTower Advisors LLC Trims Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 7.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,792 shares of the company’s stock after selling 290 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,910,000 after acquiring an additional 41,712 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,350 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 6.3% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Simcoe Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter worth $42,255,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in AutoNation in the third quarter worth $20,046,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $169.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.24. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.13 and a twelve month high of $197.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $168.68 and a 200 day moving average of $169.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AN. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America cut their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target 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. Finally, Stephens started coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.29.

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.