Barclays PLC Has $7.87 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 43,987 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $7,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,910,000 after buying an additional 41,712 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,804,000 after acquiring an additional 19,037 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 0.6% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,607,000 after acquiring an additional 4,350 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in AutoNation by 6.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 320,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,413,000 after purchasing an additional 19,015 shares during the period. Finally, Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,255,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AN. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.29.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN opened at $170.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.24. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.13 and a 12 month high of $197.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.47.

About AutoNation

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.