Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Buys Shares of 3,513 AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired 3,513 shares of AutoNation, valued at approximately $569,000, during the first quarter.
• Several hedge funds, including GAMMA Investing LLC and UMB Bank n.a., have significantly increased their stakes in AutoNation, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Analysts have set a consensus target price of $222.63 for AutoNation, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Hold," reflecting positive outlooks from multiple firms.

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $569,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 104.2% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 3,001 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 95.3% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 2,561 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $503,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in AutoNation by 9.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 987 shares of the company's stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the first quarter valued at about $5,162,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.63.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock traded up $0.02 on Tuesday, reaching $220.14. The company had a trading volume of 386,129 shares, compared to its average volume of 392,141. The company's fifty day moving average is $209.41 and its 200 day moving average is $189.62. The company has a market cap of $8.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.81. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%.AutoNation's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.99 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.