Cetera Investment Advisers Has $1.34 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Cetera Investment Advisers lessened its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,420 shares of the company’s stock after selling 640 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,342,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AN. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 90.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 79.7% in the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stephens assumed 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 six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.38.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $166.42 on Wednesday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $197.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $167.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The business’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.29 EPS. Research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the business’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 value of $91,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at $696,441,036.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total value of $10,361,568.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at $740,108,361.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 93,256 shares of company stock valued at $17,641,954. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.