Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New $2.54 Million Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

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

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 49.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $198.86 on Monday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $235.81. The stock has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a PE ratio of 9.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $197.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.18.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AN. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $248.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup increased their price objective on AutoNation from $287.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.