Capital Fund Management S.A. Purchases 5,382 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Capital Fund Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 21.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 30,618 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,382 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $5,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,136,000. Boston Partners lifted its position in AutoNation by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 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 valued at $144,682,000 after purchasing an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth $13,239,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth about $7,836,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of AN opened at $167.94 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $174.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $198.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. Equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens lifted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.86.

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.