Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Makes New $13.43 Million Investment in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 79,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,426,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of AutoNation as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 42.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 276,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,936,000 after buying an additional 82,536 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 22,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,756,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Moon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,582,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 77.5% during the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 75,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,812,000 after buying an additional 32,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,120,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $174.22 on Wednesday. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $198.50. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $168.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.86.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.33. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on AN shares. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.75.

AutoNation Profile

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.