Factorial Partners LLC Buys 1,950 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Factorial Partners LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 57.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,350 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,950 shares during the quarter. Factorial Partners LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $909,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $847,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC now owns 15,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $7,009,000. MMCAP International Inc. SPC bought a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at $5,690,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in AutoNation by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 12,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,109,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens increased their price objective on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.71.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.8 %

AN opened at $182.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $182.08 and a 200-day moving average of $174.38. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $143.88 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The company has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.25.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 30.48%. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

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.