M&T Bank Corp Sells 351 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

M&T Bank Corp cut its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,725 shares of the company’s stock after selling 351 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

AutoNation Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of AN opened at $165.09 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $174.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. 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 $147.94 and a 52 week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. On average, equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AN shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.