AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 81.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,624 shares of the company’s stock after selling 203,917 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.12% of AutoNation worth $7,387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners increased its stake in AutoNation by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,312,000 after buying an additional 203,335 shares during the period. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,172,000 after acquiring an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in AutoNation by 23.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 422.7% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $194.38 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.99. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $198.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $177.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.01.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation 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.