Trexquant Investment LP Makes New Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP has invested approximately $5.51 million in AutoNation, purchasing 34,026 shares in the first quarter, representing about 0.09% ownership of the company.
• AutoNation recently reported $5.46 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, with a revenue of $6.97 billion, up 7.6% year-over-year.
• A significant majority of AutoNation's stock, about 94.62%, is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, indicating strong institutional backing.

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 34,026 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,509,000. Trexquant Investment LP owned about 0.09% of AutoNation at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 56.8% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 839 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AutoNation from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Bank of America raised their price objective on AutoNation from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.25.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of AN stock traded up $0.88 on Friday, reaching $226.54. 437,408 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 331,494. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $228.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.54 billion, a PE ratio of 14.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.89. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $207.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.64.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.70 by $0.76. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the business posted $3.99 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

About AutoNation

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.