Capital Fund Management S.A. Has $8.57 Million Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Capital Fund Management S.A. increased its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. by 72.9%, owning approximately 52,933 shares valued at $8.57 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• Analysts have a positive outlook on AutoNation, with most rating it a Moderate Buy and an average target price of $223.25.
• AutoNation reported strong quarterly results, with earnings per share of $5.46, exceeding estimates and reflecting a year-over-year revenue increase of 7.6%.

Capital Fund Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 72.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,933 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 22,315 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A. owned about 0.14% of AutoNation worth $8,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th 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. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 762.6% in the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 923 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 816 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 equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim dropped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.25.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.3%

AutoNation stock opened at $210.2230 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.33 and a twelve month high of $217.40. The company's 50-day moving average price is $201.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.49.

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

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