Schechter Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 148 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,473 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Davis Capital Management raised its holdings in AutoNation by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 14,152 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,532,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN opened at $174.50 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $182.35 and a 200-day moving average of $174.53. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $143.88 and a one year high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal 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.