Vision Financial Markets LLC Buys Shares of 14,850 AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 14,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,000. AutoNation comprises about 2.7% of Vision Financial Markets LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 189.2% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 29,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,327,000 after purchasing an additional 19,480 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 80.8% during the 3rd quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 5,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of AN opened at $174.50 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $182.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $143.88 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The company has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. Analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.