Boston Partners Has $309.31 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Boston Partners raised its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 203,335 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $309,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 142.2% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at about $585,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 6.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,413,000 after acquiring an additional 19,015 shares in the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $255,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $13,239,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Up 2.5 %

AutoNation stock opened at $164.22 on Tuesday. 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 $150.08 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $181.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.81. The firm has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI increased 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, Stephens increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.