Squarepoint Ops LLC Sells 22,523 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 21.6% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 81,730 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,523 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $15,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in AutoNation during the second quarter worth $315,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in AutoNation by 73.9% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth about $316,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,757,580. This trade represents a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.0%

AN opened at $209.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a PE ratio of 9.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.72. 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 one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $235.81. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $204.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $197.52.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued 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. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.26 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Argus upped their price target on AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $287.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $250.00.

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.