Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 12,916 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp cut its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 25.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,277 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,916 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $6,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AN. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 581.8% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 150.8% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $197,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. 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 report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.86.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.7 %

AN opened at $158.94 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $179.76 and a 200 day moving average of $173.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.08 and a 12 month high of $198.50. The firm has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. As a group, research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS 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.