Alliancebernstein L.P. Buys 160,794 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 851,870 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 160,794 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 2.15% of AutoNation worth $144,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 77.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 16.4% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at $197,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens raised their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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 lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN stock opened at $164.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.08 and a twelve month high of $198.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $178.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.81.

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

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.