US Bancorp DE Sells 217 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

US Bancorp DE decreased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,941 shares of the company’s stock after selling 217 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% in 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. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 4.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 433,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,623,000 after acquiring an additional 18,588 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $57,413,000 after purchasing an additional 19,015 shares during the last quarter. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,255,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $20,046,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.2 %

AutoNation stock opened at $165.33 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $149.51 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $182.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.31.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly 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 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens upped their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.71.

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.