Vontobel Holding Ltd. Takes $313,000 Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda increased its holdings in AutoNation by 10.6% during the third quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in AutoNation by 28.1% in the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 802 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 12.5% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 12,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,182,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 10,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,822,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 2,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $420,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $161.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.81 and a 1-year high of $197.18. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.19.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.29 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AN shares. 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 upped their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens started coverage on AutoNation in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.38.

Insider Activity

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total transaction of $10,361,568.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at $740,108,361.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $740,108,361.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 93,256 shares of company stock worth $17,641,954. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.