Private Management Group Inc. Sells 12,756 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Private Management Group Inc. lessened its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 79,873 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,756 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $16,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in AutoNation by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 13,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,866,000 after buying an additional 2,178 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 28,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,859,000 after buying an additional 1,068 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 14,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,930,000 after buying an additional 1,597 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,832,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 57,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,825,000 after purchasing an additional 12,210 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN opened at $193.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $196.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $201.91. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $176.62 and a 12 month high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.68 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group assumed coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Company Profile

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.