Choreo LLC Takes Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $251,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 1st quarter valued at $170,270,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at $42,748,000. Eminence Capital LP boosted its position in AutoNation by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 261,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,338,000 after buying an additional 119,866 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its position in AutoNation by 696.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 45,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,787,000 after buying an additional 39,515 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in AutoNation by 44.9% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 120,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,056,000 after buying an additional 37,252 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total transaction of $10,361,568.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744 in the last three months. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AN. Stephens began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $194.25.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $170.84 on Thursday. 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 50-day moving average of $172.63 and a 200 day moving average of $165.42. The firm has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.10, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.81 and a 1 year high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). The business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.29 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.67 earnings per share 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.