Quent Capital LLC Cuts Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Quent Capital LLC cut its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,501 shares of the company’s stock after selling 245 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,104,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new position in AutoNation during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,255,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at $20,046,000. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 739.9% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 109,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,509,000 after purchasing an additional 96,058 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth $13,239,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the third quarter worth $131,250,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE AN opened at $195.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.80. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $136.35 and a fifty-two week high of $198.50. The stock has a market cap of $7.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. On average, analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $195.57.

AutoNation Company 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.