Private Management Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN – Free Report) by 5.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 225,169 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,489 shares during the quarter. AutoNation comprises 1.4% of Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Private Management Group Inc. owned approximately 0.49% of AutoNation worth $30,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 197.8% during the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 873,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,311,000 after buying an additional 579,910 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 59.0% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,116,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,774,000 after buying an additional 414,240 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 29.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,505,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,880,000 after buying an additional 338,288 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $31,128,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth $26,990,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.48% of the company’s stock.
AutoNation Stock Performance
Shares of AN stock traded down $0.92 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $155.60. 175,847 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 710,309. The company has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50 day moving average is $157.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.66. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.92 and a 1 year high of $182.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.24.
AutoNation (NYSE:AN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 21st. The company reported $6.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.91 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $6.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.78 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 58.35% and a net margin of 4.50%. The company’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.48 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 22.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. StockNews.com started coverage on AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Guggenheim decreased their target price on AutoNation from $184.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 24th. Bank of America raised their price target on AutoNation from $225.00 to $245.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AutoNation from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Stephens raised their price target on AutoNation from $146.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $168.88.
Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation
In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 55,914 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.76, for a total transaction of $7,870,454.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,143,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $723,961,336.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 80,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total transaction of $14,313,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,887,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $874,455,039.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 55,914 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.76, for a total value of $7,870,454.64. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,143,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $723,961,336.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 306,758 shares of company stock worth $48,036,689. 0.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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.