Intech Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 180.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,206 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,491 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,727,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,176,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,950,000 after purchasing an additional 34,153 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 11.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,460,000 after purchasing an additional 91,232 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 10.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 697,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,967,000 after purchasing an additional 66,183 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 38.3% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,034,000 after purchasing an additional 151,966 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.90.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $191.07 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $196.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $202.30. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92. The firm has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.74.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.AutoNation’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.68 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AutoNation Profile

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.