OLD National Bancorp IN Raises Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

OLD National Bancorp IN grew its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,100 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 90.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 79.7% in the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth about $57,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the 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 directly owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 93,256 shares of company stock valued at $17,641,954. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AutoNation Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE AN opened at $161.75 on Wednesday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $197.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $171.22 and a 200-day moving average of $167.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.19.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The company had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.29 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.57 earnings per share for the current year.

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.