5,212 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN Acquired by Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,140,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 355.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2,477.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Evercore raised their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.11.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $202.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.79. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $228.92. The firm has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $211.30 and its 200-day moving average is $210.41.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.91 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.30% and a net margin of 2.35%.AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.97 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Friday, October 31st that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.