Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Increases Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,300 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its stake in AutoNation by 54.1% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 51,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,568,000 after buying an additional 18,157 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth $1,484,000. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter worth $838,000. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 39.1% during the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 53,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,808,000 after purchasing an additional 15,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LP acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the first quarter worth $1,083,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $156.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a PE ratio of 9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.19. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $129.32 and a twelve month high of $197.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $169.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 32.01%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.29 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America cut their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Stephens started coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.43.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total value of $91,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total transaction of $91,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $694,492,393.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.