AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Short Interest Update

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,760,000 shares, a drop of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 1,930,000 shares. Approximately 6.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 470,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 142.2% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,138,000 after buying an additional 43,113 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $585,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,413,000 after buying an additional 19,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $255,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.4 %

AN traded up $0.78 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $193.46. The company had a trading volume of 463,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 464,734. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $180.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.51. The company has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.16, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. AutoNation has a 12-month low of $136.35 and a 12-month high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.80.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.57.

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.