Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 79,052 AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 79,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,426,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of AutoNation as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 581.8% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 158 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 77.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock traded up $0.82 during trading on Monday, reaching $177.58. 64,682 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 454,235. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $198.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $6.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.50, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $168.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.04.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens upped their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently 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.