Bank of Montreal Can Boosts Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,867 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $633,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,455,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 54.0% during the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,813 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 435,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,965,000 after acquiring an additional 1,633 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in AutoNation by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,682,000 after purchasing an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $166.03 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $171.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $198.50.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens raised their price objective 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. StockNews.com cut AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.86.

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.