Emmett Investment Management LP Makes New $3.50 Million Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Emmett Investment Management LP purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 15,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,496,000. AutoNation makes up 2.5% of Emmett Investment Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 1.4% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 7.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 7.5% during the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $183.39 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $205.23 and a 200-day moving average of $209.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $6.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 0.89. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.91 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.69% and a net margin of 2.35%.The firm’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.97 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $235.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Evercore lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $248.67.

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.