Machina Capital S.A.S. Invests $291,000 in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Key Points

• Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired 1,795 shares of AutoNation valued at approximately $291,000 during the first quarter.
• Analysts have shown increasing confidence in AutoNation, with Bank of America and Citigroup raising their price targets and ratings to buy and strong-buy.
• AutoNation reported a significant quarter with earnings per share of $5.46, exceeding expectations by $0.76 and achieving a 7.6% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $291,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at $1,637,000. Choreo LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 31.2% in the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the company's stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth $233,000. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth $235,000. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,310 shares of the company's stock worth $860,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on AN shares. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $209.88.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $3.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $203.37. 970,885 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 474,739. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $148.33 and a 12 month high of $217.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.99. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $196.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $183.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.77.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 30.08%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.99 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.