Perpetual Ltd Increases Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Perpetual Ltd raised its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 104.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,685 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,885 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 403.6% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 54.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 498.5% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 28.1% in the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AutoNation from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.71.

AutoNation Trading Down 1.4 %

AN opened at $182.65 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $174.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $171.47. 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 $197.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.53, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.26.

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.