AutoNation, Inc. $AN Stock Position Decreased by Alyeska Investment Group L.P.

Key Points

• Alyeska Investment Group L.P. reduced its stake in AutoNation, Inc. by 15.3%, now owning approximately 2.48% of the company valued at $151.5 million after selling 168,992 shares.
• AutoNation reported a quarterly earnings per share of $5.46, exceeding analyst expectations, with a total revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, up 7.6% year-over-year.
• Analysts have shown positive sentiment towards AutoNation, with several firms raising their target prices, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $223.25.

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lessened its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 15.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 935,942 shares of the company's stock after selling 168,992 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. owned about 2.48% of AutoNation worth $151,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,256,308 shares of the company's stock worth $527,261,000 after purchasing an additional 219,474 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,964,187 shares of the company's stock worth $318,749,000 after purchasing an additional 149,959 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 676,568 shares of the company's stock worth $109,550,000 after purchasing an additional 15,112 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 276,355 shares of the company's stock worth $46,936,000 after purchasing an additional 82,536 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 241,513 shares of the company's stock worth $41,019,000 after purchasing an additional 1,897 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens raised their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.25.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $226.54. 437,408 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 331,494. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $228.92. The firm has a market cap of $8.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.89. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $207.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $187.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.99 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current 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.