Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Sells 20,055 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. cut its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,922 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,055 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 0.13% of AutoNation worth $8,988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,165 shares of the company's stock worth $55,566,000 after purchasing an additional 6,277 shares during the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $255,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $13,239,000. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. increased its stake in AutoNation by 97.4% in the 4th quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 11,640 shares of the company's stock worth $1,977,000 after acquiring an additional 5,742 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE AN traded up $2.38 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $191.03. The company had a trading volume of 436,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 456,647. The business's 50-day moving average is $168.60 and its 200-day moving average is $173.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.49 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.75.

AutoNation 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.