Nilsine Partners LLC Has $4.27 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Nilsine Partners LLC increased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 4.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,350 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC owned 0.07% of AutoNation worth $4,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners grew its holdings in AutoNation by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,814,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,312,000 after purchasing an additional 203,335 shares during the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,461,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,172,000 after acquiring an additional 488,904 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,104,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,662,000 after acquiring an additional 426,882 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 851,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,682,000 after acquiring an additional 160,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 422.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.9%

AutoNation stock opened at $196.58 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $181.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.63. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.63, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 2.51% and a return on equity of 30.08%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.49 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AN. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $212.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised shares of AutoNation to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $194.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.75.

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.