Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 44.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,205 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,968 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,804,000 after buying an additional 19,037 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 433,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,623,000 after acquiring an additional 18,588 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,277 shares in the last quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 146,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,865,000 after acquiring an additional 29,715 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $20,046,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AN shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens upped their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.86.

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $164.08 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.08 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $178.87 and its 200 day moving average is $173.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. Sell-side analysts forecast 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.