California Public Employees Retirement System Has $11.40 Million Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 10.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 58,405 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,572 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $11,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 192,434.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $913,557,000 after purchasing an additional 4,422,133 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,319,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in AutoNation by 260.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,064,000 after buying an additional 241,265 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 51.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,439,000 after buying an additional 215,577 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 444.2% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 119,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,605,000 after buying an additional 97,268 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $208.28 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $192.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $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 data 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 net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on AN. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In related 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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.