AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP reduced its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 64.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,929 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,506 shares during the period. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP's holdings in AutoNation were worth $328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AN. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company's stock worth $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares in the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company's stock worth $248,172,000 after purchasing an additional 488,904 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $187,662,000 after acquiring an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in AutoNation by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company's stock worth $144,682,000 after buying an additional 160,794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its stake in AutoNation by 422.7% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company's stock worth $97,658,000 after buying an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of AN stock traded down $0.92 during trading on Thursday, reaching $180.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 115,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 457,186. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.33 and a 1-year high of $198.50. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $171.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $175.01. The company has a market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.49 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Three 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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.