Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $395,000.
Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anomaly Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,027,000. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in AutoNation by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,407 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 14,737 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares during the last quarter. Covalis Capital LLP purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at $26,695,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages recently commented on AN. Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. 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. Evercore ISI upped their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $200.75.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AutoNation
AutoNation Trading Up 0.9 %
NYSE AN traded up $1.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $176.54. 368,662 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 455,754. The business's 50 day moving average is $168.03 and its 200-day moving average is $173.01. 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 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $198.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.99.
AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.49 EPS. The company's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AutoNation Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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