Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 1,494 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $242,000.
Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,580 shares of the company's stock worth $1,227,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company's stock worth $1,897,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 1.6% during the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 4,918 shares of the company's stock worth $796,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the company's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AN. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $215.13.
Get Our Latest Analysis on AN
AutoNation Stock Up 2.8%
Shares of AutoNation stock traded up $5.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $194.48. The company had a trading volume of 302,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 491,053. The company's 50-day moving average is $197.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.89. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $217.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.89.
AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.99 EPS. AutoNation's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
About AutoNation
(
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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