Machina Capital S.A.S. Buys New Shares 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. acquired a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $291,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AN. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in AutoNation by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,580 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company's stock valued at $657,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 4,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $796,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stephens boosted their price target on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.38.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE AN traded down $4.31 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $191.95. The stock had a trading volume of 177,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 487,962. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $217.40. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $196.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $183.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.99. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.31%. The company's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.99 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

About AutoNation

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.