Crestline Management LP Takes Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Crestline Management LP bought a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 34,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,843,000. Crestline Management LP owned about 0.09% of AutoNation as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Boston Partners grew 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 in the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock worth $248,172,000 after acquiring an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock worth $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company's stock worth $144,682,000 after purchasing an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN stock traded up $7.77 during trading on Monday, reaching $187.46. 181,792 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 454,764. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The firm has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The company's fifty day moving average price is $167.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.49 EPS. AutoNation's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.