Millennium Management LLC Boosts Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 2,229.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 75,254 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 72,023 shares during the quarter. Millennium Management LLC owned approximately 0.19% of AutoNation worth $12,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in AutoNation by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the company's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,171 shares of the company's stock worth $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the company's stock worth $657,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.7%

AutoNation stock traded up $3.18 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $185.39. The company had a trading volume of 432,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 459,216. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $172.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $175.53. The firm has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on AN. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Stephens raised their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $200.75.

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.