Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. Grows Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 154,144 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,742 shares during the period. AutoNation makes up approximately 3.4% of Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $24,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 3,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $7,009,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $7,836,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in AutoNation by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $212.82 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $217.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $192.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.06.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AutoNation from $187.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.