AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Acquired by Cwm LLC

Cwm LLC lifted its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 359.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 840 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 657 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 97.5% in the fourth quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 1,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 906 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $369,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in AutoNation by 91.2% in the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 19,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,891,000 after purchasing an additional 9,182 shares during the period. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 122,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,387,000 after buying an additional 2,728 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 107,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,153,000 after buying an additional 18,278 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $183.25.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN opened at $160.47 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.21. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $182.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 42.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.05 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, April 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,793 shares in the company, valued at $8,197,224. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.74% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.