Deutsche Bank AG Acquires 7,981 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG has increased its stake in AutoNation, Inc. by 23.6% during the first quarter, owning approximately $6.77 million worth of shares.
• Institutional investors now hold 94.62% of AutoNation stock, with several firms significantly raising their positions in the company.
• AutoNation surpassed analysts' revenue expectations with $6.97 billion in revenue for the last quarter, and reported an EPS of $5.46, exceeding estimates of $4.70.

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 23.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,822 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,981 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.11% of AutoNation worth $6,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 422.7% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 63.0% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $187,662,000 after purchasing an additional 426,882 shares in the last quarter. Cartenna Capital LP acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at $56,831,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,256,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,261,000 after purchasing an additional 219,474 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of AutoNation stock traded down $0.74 during trading on Thursday, reaching $208.86. 12,632 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 479,644. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $201.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.89.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%.The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.99 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AN shares. Stephens lifted their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Two investment 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 company currently 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.