Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Raises Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. increased its stake in AutoNation, Inc. by 659.4% during the 1st quarter, acquiring an additional 24,568 shares, bringing their total to 28,294 shares worth approximately $4.58 million.
• AutoNation reported $5.46 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $4.70, and had a revenue of $6.97 billion, surpassing analysts' expectations.
• Several analysts have issued ratings for AutoNation, with the stock currently holding a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target around $223.25.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 659.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,294 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,568 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. owned approximately 0.08% of AutoNation worth $4,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in AutoNation by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,964,187 shares of the company's stock worth $318,749,000 after buying an additional 149,959 shares in the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock worth $248,172,000 after buying an additional 488,904 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 426,882 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 676,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,550,000 after acquiring an additional 15,112 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN traded down $3.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $218.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 317,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 379,551. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $224.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $205.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.99 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 boosted their price target on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. 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 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.