Moon Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Moon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 21,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,582,000. AutoNation makes up approximately 2.7% of Moon Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Moon Capital Management LP owned 0.05% of AutoNation as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 77.5% in the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 75,437 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,812,000 after acquiring an additional 32,927 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,120,000. Cartenna Capital LP bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,831,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 422.7% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock worth $97,658,000 after purchasing an additional 465,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,517 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,636,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $174.68. The stock had a trading volume of 153,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 454,472. The company has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $168.30 and a 200 day moving average of $172.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.59%. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reduced their target price on AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded AutoNation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Cfra Research upgraded AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $200.75.

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.