Versor Investments LP Sells 3,962 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Versor Investments LP reduced its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 67.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,906 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,962 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,176,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $694,950,000 after acquiring an additional 34,153 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,460,000 after acquiring an additional 91,232 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 697,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,967,000 after acquiring an additional 66,183 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,034,000 after buying an additional 151,966 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 260.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,064,000 after buying an additional 241,265 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $192.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.45, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.79. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $176.25 and a 12 month high of $228.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $196.54 and its 200 day moving average is $202.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.68 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.29 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $235.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.