Xponance Inc. Raises Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Xponance Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,839 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AN. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the third quarter valued at approximately $969,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 18.0% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 9.9% during the third quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 2,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 2.5% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 11,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,775,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 4.7% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AN. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned 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 $173.00.

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $169.70 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.49, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $153.76 and its 200 day moving average is $144.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $182.08.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.49. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.05 earnings per share. AutoNation’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AutoNation

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.