AutoNation, Inc. $AN Shares Sold by Tudor Investment Corp ET AL

Key Points

• Tudor Investment Corp ET AL cut its stake in AutoNation by 51.2%, selling 6,448 shares and leaving 6,139 shares valued at about $1.343 million.
• Other institutions boosted positions significantly—Arrowstreet up 260.2% to 333,975 shares (~$73.1M), AQR to 631,744 shares (~$125.4M) and Invesco to 907,163 shares (~$198.5M)—and institutional/hedge funds now own about 94.62% of the stock.
• Analyst coverage is mixed but the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $244.33; AutoNation recently beat EPS estimates ($5.08 vs. $4.91) but missed revenue, and currently trades near $202 with a P/E of 11.86 and a market cap of about $6.94 billion.

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL cut its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 51.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,139 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,448 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL's holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,343,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in AutoNation by 260.2% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,064,000 after purchasing an additional 241,265 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 51.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,439,000 after purchasing an additional 215,577 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in AutoNation during the third quarter valued at $34,601,000. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its position in AutoNation by 38.3% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,034,000 after purchasing an additional 151,966 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in AutoNation by 11.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,460,000 after purchasing an additional 91,232 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AN. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AutoNation from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $207.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $280.00 to $269.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of AutoNation from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $235.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $244.33.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.9%

AN stock opened at $202.26 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $196.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $205.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.29 and a 52 week high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.91 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 31.69%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.97 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company Profile

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.

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