LMR Partners LLP Invests $4.67 Million in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

LMR Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 27,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,671,000. LMR Partners LLP owned approximately 0.07% of AutoNation at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 5.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,370,000 after buying an additional 6,558 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at $207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $13,239,000. Finally, HCR Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 24,842 shares of the company's stock worth $4,219,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:AN traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $190.17. 386,144 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 456,857. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.23, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $169.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.19. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their target price on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.75.

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.