QRG Capital Management Inc. Purchases 258 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,305 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 43.9% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $420,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 1.3% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 22,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,759,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,916,000 after acquiring an additional 4,047 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 501.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $923,000 after acquiring an additional 4,649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.5% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AN. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upgraded AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.00.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $694,492,393.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $164.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.52 billion, a PE ratio of 9.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $167.13 and a 200-day moving average of $168.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $129.32 and a one year high of $197.18.

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.