AutoNation (NYSE:AN) CFO Buys 540 Shares of Stock

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) CFO Thomas Szlosek bought 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $185.10 per share, for a total transaction of $99,954.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,817,687.50. This trade represents a 2.69% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.3%

AN stock traded up $2.31 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $186.31. 439,749 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 463,137. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.77. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $151.82 and a 1-year high of $235.81. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.98. The firm has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.82.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.08 by $0.03. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.63% and a return on equity of 31.18%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.01 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 20.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoNation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in AutoNation by 73.9% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in AutoNation by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $67,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $85,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AN. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $255.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Zacks Research lowered shares of AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.20.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is a U.S. automotive retailer that sells new and used vehicles through a network of dealerships. Its stores offer vehicles from a range of manufacturers, along with related products and services.

The company also provides vehicle maintenance and repair, parts, and collision-repair services. Its offerings include financing and insurance products, as well as online tools that support vehicle research and purchasing.

Founded in 1996, AutoNation operates dealerships across the United States, with a presence concentrated in the Sun Belt.