Avalon Trust Co Takes Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter worth approximately $67,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in AutoNation by 17.9% during the third 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. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 22.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $172,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI started coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four research 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $672,013,960.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,279 shares of company stock worth $21,041,962 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.2 %

AN traded up $1.91 on Friday, hitting $165.18. The company had a trading volume of 370,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 561,289. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $182.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $156.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.78. The company has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a PE ratio of 7.83, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 42.44% and a net margin of 3.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.05 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.73 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, April 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.