Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,483 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,708 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.08% of AutoNation worth $5,347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $313,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in AutoNation by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.2% in the third quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at about $131,250,000. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 12.2% during the third quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $193.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.16, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $180.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $136.35 and a 12 month high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.57.

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.