Rhumbline Advisers Sells 1,764 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Rhumbline Advisers decreased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 74,569 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,764 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.19% of AutoNation worth $12,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,255,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $20,046,000. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 739.9% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 109,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,509,000 after acquiring an additional 96,058 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth about $13,239,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its holdings in AutoNation by 142.2% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,138,000 after acquiring an additional 43,113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AN. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $181.19 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $181.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $174.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $136.79 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current 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.