Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Makes New $2.12 Million Investment in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners boosted its stake in AutoNation by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 23.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 575,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,658,000 after buying an additional 465,000 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 435,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,965,000 after buying an additional 1,633 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cartenna Capital LP acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,831,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup upgraded shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens upped 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $174.22 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $198.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $168.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $172.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.53 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.49 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

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.