Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 9,808 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Gabelli Funds LLC decreased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 315,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,808 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned 0.80% of AutoNation worth $50,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $42,748,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in AutoNation by 696.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 45,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,787,000 after acquiring an additional 39,515 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,430,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $694,492,393.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other AutoNation 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoNation Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $174.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a market cap of $7.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $197.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $172.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.82.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released 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 firm had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.29 earnings per share. AutoNation’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.