Boston Partners Purchases 149,959 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Key Points

• Boston Partners increased its stake in AutoNation by 8.3%, owning 5.21% of the company, which is valued at approximately $318.75 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Russell Investments Group and Nuveen LLC, significantly increased their positions in AutoNation during the first quarter of the year.
• AutoNation reported a better-than-expected EPS of $5.46 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates by $0.76, with year-over-year revenue growth of 7.6%.

Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 8.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,964,187 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 149,959 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned 5.21% of AutoNation worth $318,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 197.5% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 15,786 shares of the company's stock worth $2,555,000 after purchasing an additional 10,480 shares during the last quarter. CCM Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $507,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $36,060,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 7.6% during the first quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,735 shares of the company's stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 2.3% during the first 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 last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AN traded down $1.90 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $206.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 339,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 512,491. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $200.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.90. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $217.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.89.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted 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 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.99 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 11th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $223.25.

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.