Alyeska Investment Group L.P. Boosts Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 63.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the period. AutoNation comprises 0.7% of Alyeska Investment Group L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. owned approximately 2.79% of AutoNation worth $187,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its position in shares of 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. Cartenna Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth $56,831,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at $38,136,000. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,312,000 after acquiring an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anomaly Capital Management LP purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,027,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $176.60. 423,504 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 454,870. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $167.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.11. The firm has a market cap of $6.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.42, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.49 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens boosted their price objective 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. Cfra Research raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI increased their target price 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. dropped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $200.75.

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.