Corient Private Wealth LP Takes $1.66 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 8,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,662,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in AutoNation during the second quarter worth $438,689,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at $69,319,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in AutoNation by 260.2% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,064,000 after acquiring an additional 241,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 51.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,439,000 after acquiring an additional 215,577 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN stock opened at $207.51 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.62 and a twelve month high of $235.81. The firm has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $202.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $197.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The business’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. Analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,989 shares in the company, valued at $1,757,580. This trade represents a 10.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $248.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Northcoast Research raised shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.