AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 130,318 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

AQR Capital Management LLC cut its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 43.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 170,173 shares of the company's stock after selling 130,318 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.43% of AutoNation worth $28,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 142.2% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,566,000 after purchasing an additional 6,277 shares in the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth $255,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth $13,239,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.1 %

AutoNation stock traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $179.39. 75,606 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 453,475. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $167.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.23. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on AN. Stephens raised their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Four research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.