Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Takes $2.12 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 12,485 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,120,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Barclays PLC grew its position in AutoNation by 5.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,987 shares of the company's stock worth $7,870,000 after buying an additional 2,263 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 16.4% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 964 shares of the company's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter worth $242,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 48.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,148 shares of the company's stock worth $3,370,000 after purchasing an additional 6,558 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in AutoNation by 142.2% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 73,429 shares of the company's stock worth $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,113 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN traded up $0.64 on Monday, reaching $177.40. The stock had a trading volume of 52,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 516,853. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $168.03 and a 200-day moving average of $173.04. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on AN shares. Cfra Research raised shares of AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup raised AutoNation to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.