AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by Leisure Capital Management

Leisure Capital Management lessened its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 19.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,954 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,454 shares during the quarter. Leisure Capital Management’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth about $969,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at $672,013,960.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sold a total of 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 5.9 %

Shares of AN traded up $9.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $169.88. 1,532,500 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 461,419. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $182.08. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.86. The firm has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.05 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Evercore ISI began coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim upped their price target on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com lowered AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.