LSV Asset Management Has $97.96 Million Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management has reduced its stake in AutoNation by 10.6% in Q1, now holding approximately 604,994 shares valued at $97.96 million.
• Several hedge funds increased their holdings in AutoNation, with Sei Investments and Norges Bank making significant additions in Q4.
• AutoNation reported a quarterly earnings per share of $5.46, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 7.6% revenue growth year-over-year.

LSV Asset Management cut its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 604,994 shares of the company's stock after selling 71,621 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 1.60% of AutoNation worth $97,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in AutoNation by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 15,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,667,000 after buying an additional 1,253 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,136,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in AutoNation by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the company's stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 435,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,965,000 after purchasing an additional 1,633 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AutoNation stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $195.71. The stock had a trading volume of 11,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 489,236. The company has a 50-day moving average of $197.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The company has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a PE ratio of 12.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.89. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $217.40.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share (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 prior year, the firm posted $3.99 EPS. AutoNation's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens boosted 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $215.13.

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.