AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by Sequent Asset Management LLC

Sequent Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,859 shares of the company’s stock after selling 118 shares during the quarter. Sequent Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $429,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of AutoNation stock traded down $4.30 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $161.13. 602,442 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 464,639. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.24. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.81 and a twelve month high of $182.08.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its 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 net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 43.48%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.05 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Friday, April 26th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Bank of America lowered their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.38.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline A. Travisano sold 3,671 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.98, for a total value of $539,563.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at $908,630.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AutoNation 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.