AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Stake Lifted by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 54.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 311 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 109 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $56,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AN. Davis Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 1.0% during the third quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,722,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,604,000. Truist Financial Corp boosted its position in AutoNation by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 4,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,000 after acquiring an additional 840 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 498.5% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 3.6% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,340,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens assumed coverage on AutoNation in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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 six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.38.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

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 owns 3,825,338 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at $740,108,361.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the business’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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 93,256 shares of company stock worth $17,641,954. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $169.97 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $171.42 and a 200-day moving average of $167.55. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released 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 analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.