AlphaQuest LLC Purchases 2,585 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 94.6% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,319 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,585 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ground Swell Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 3.7% in the second quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 159,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,749,000 after purchasing an additional 5,678 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter valued at approximately $356,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,430,000. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $200.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $199.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.33 and a 1 year high of $228.92. The company has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.85.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.16. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.07% and a net margin of 2.38%.The business had revenue of $7.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on AutoNation from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Stephens lifted their price target on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.63.

AutoNation 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.