Capital Fund Management S.A. Increases Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Capital Fund Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,618 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,382 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A. owned approximately 0.08% of AutoNation worth $5,200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at $7,836,000. Greenland Capital Management LP increased its position in AutoNation by 165.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenland Capital Management LP now owns 49,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,415,000 after acquiring an additional 30,864 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,681,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in AutoNation by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $633,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of AN stock opened at $167.94 on Monday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $174.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a PE ratio of 9.91, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $198.50.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AN. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com cut AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.