Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Has $1.17 Million Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System reduced its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Down 3.8%

NYSE AN opened at $196.72 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $194.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $217.40. The company has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.99.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 30.08%. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on AutoNation from $187.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Guggenheim cut their target price on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.88.

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.