PDT Partners LLC Takes Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 15,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,824,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in AutoNation by 192,434.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth $438,689,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,478,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,784,000 after acquiring an additional 56,641 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,460,000 after acquiring an additional 91,232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 895,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,808,000 after purchasing an additional 5,489 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE AN opened at $196.37 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.10, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.71. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $235.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The business’s fifty day moving average is $200.86 and its 200-day moving average is $197.51.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $287.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Northcoast Research raised shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Argus upped their target price on AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.00.

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.