Quest Partners LLC Makes New Investment in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,134 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,222,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. First United Bank & Trust bought a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AN. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Guggenheim raised their price target on AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.88.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total transaction of $1,680,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,793 shares in the company, valued at $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,197,224. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 116,804 shares of company stock worth $18,832,532 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of AutoNation stock traded down $1.41 on Tuesday, hitting $169.26. The stock had a trading volume of 205,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 445,831. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $161.24 and a 200 day moving average of $148.66. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.81 and a twelve month high of $182.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.09, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. AutoNation had a return on equity of 42.44% and a net margin of 3.41%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.05 earnings per share. AutoNation's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, April 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 14.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.