Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Takes $37,000 Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HCR Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 24,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,966,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth $319,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,350 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Crumly & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth $236,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.1 %

AN opened at $167.21 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $171.99 and its 200-day moving average is $165.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.29 EPS. Analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total transaction of $10,361,568.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at $740,108,361.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744 over the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on AN shares. Stephens started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $194.25.

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.