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

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 8.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 383,615 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 30,725 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $74,905,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,170,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,376,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 13.3% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $208.28 on Monday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $176.62 and a 52 week high of $228.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $192.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.23.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.68 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on AN shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.18.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.