AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Director Sells $198,000.00 in Stock

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:AN opened at $209.35 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $197.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.78. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $235.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.48 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. AutoNation’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.26 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AutoNation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Investment Management LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $255.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $248.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.36.

About AutoNation

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.