Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,431 shares of the company’s stock after selling 150 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 90.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the first quarter worth about $57,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in AutoNation by 498.5% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at about $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $156.27 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $169.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.75. The company has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.19. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.32 and a 12-month high of $197.18. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $6.48 billion for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.29 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research note 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other news, 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 directly owns 3,825,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value of $7,189,355.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, 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. 0.74% of the stock is 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.