Caxton Associates LLP Makes New $1.27 Million Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,269,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter worth $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 49.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AN shares. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.18.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:AN opened at $208.28 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $192.22 and a 200 day moving average of $198.30. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $176.62 and a 52 week high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.68 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.