Parkwood LLC Purchases Shares of 37,984 AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Parkwood LLC has made a new investment in AutoNation, acquiring 37,984 shares valued at approximately $6.15 million, representing 0.10% of the company.
• AutoNation reported a strong quarterly performance with an EPS of $5.46, exceeding expectations, and a revenue of $6.97 billion, marking a 7.6% year-over-year increase.
• Analysts have positive outlooks on AutoNation, with upgrades from multiple brokerages resulting in a consensus price target of $223.25 and several "buy" ratings.

Parkwood LLC bought a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 37,984 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,150,000. Parkwood LLC owned 0.10% of AutoNation at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter worth $86,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 762.6% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 923 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,000 after buying an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN stock traded down $1.47 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $223.52. The company had a trading volume of 372,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 362,678. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $208.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.46. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $228.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a PE ratio of 14.01, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on AN. Stephens upped their price target on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Bank of America dropped their target price on AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Two 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $222.63.

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.