AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Short Interest Down 8.8% in January

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,760,000 shares, a drop of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 1,930,000 shares. Approximately 6.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 470,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $193.46 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $136.35 and a 12-month high of $198.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $180.03 and a 200 day moving average of $173.51.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.57.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% in 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. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 150.8% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 403.6% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AutoNation

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.