AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by Pecaut & CO.

Pecaut & CO. lowered its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 6.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,395 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. AutoNation comprises about 1.8% of Pecaut & CO.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Pecaut & CO. owned about 0.07% of AutoNation worth $4,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in AutoNation by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 300,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,203,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 73.9% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 7,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 3,394 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in AutoNation by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $754,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $192.00.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total value of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total value of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value of $7,189,355.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744 over the last three months. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $158.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.7 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.