Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys Shares of 46,136 AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 46,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,836,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.12% of AutoNation at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,255,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at $20,046,000. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 739.9% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 109,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,509,000 after buying an additional 96,058 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at $13,239,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 142.2% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,138,000 after buying an additional 43,113 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of AN stock opened at $167.02 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.08 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.53.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AN. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens increased their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.71.

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.