Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys Shares of 41,271 AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 41,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,009,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% in the 3rd 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 stake in shares of AutoNation by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 433,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,623,000 after buying an additional 18,588 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,413,000 after buying an additional 19,015 shares in the last quarter. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,255,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $20,046,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AN shares. StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens boosted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Down 4.0 %

Shares of AN stock opened at $175.05 on Tuesday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $143.88 and a 12 month high of $198.50. The firm has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $182.32 and a 200-day moving average of $174.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

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%. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation 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.