Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $2.40 Million Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 122.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,133 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,788 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised 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. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the period. Cartenna Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,831,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at $38,136,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim cut their target price on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $190.17 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $198.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $169.99 and its 200-day moving average is $174.52. 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 has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.23, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.49 EPS. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.