AutoNation, Inc. $AN Shares Bought by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 8.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 383,615 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,725 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned approximately 1.15% of AutoNation worth $74,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AN. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in AutoNation by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 49.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AN. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $208.28 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.75. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.62 and a twelve month high of $228.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $192.22 and a 200 day moving average of $198.23.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.68 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.