Quantbot Technologies LP Buys Shares of 13,673 AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 13,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,540,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AN. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 192,434.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 4,422,133 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $438,689,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in AutoNation by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,478,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,784,000 after buying an additional 56,641 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,460,000 after buying an additional 91,232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 895,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,808,000 after buying an additional 5,489 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $198.86 on Monday. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $235.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $200.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $197.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The company’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.26 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on AN shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Argus increased their price objective on AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $248.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $250.00.

About AutoNation

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.