WINTON GROUP Ltd Buys New Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 99,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,832,000. AutoNation accounts for approximately 1.1% of WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned about 0.25% of AutoNation at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Partners purchased a new position in AutoNation during the first quarter valued at approximately $170,270,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,748,000. Eminence Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 84.4% in the 4th quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 261,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,338,000 after purchasing an additional 119,866 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 696.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 45,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,787,000 after buying an additional 39,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in AutoNation by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 120,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,056,000 after buying an additional 37,252 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $194.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744 in the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AutoNation Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of AN opened at $166.96 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $197.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $171.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.84. The stock has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 7.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.29 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company 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.