Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $619,000 Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 355.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 126.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $187.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $196.23 and its 200 day moving average is $202.26.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.68 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at $298,348.96. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group initiated coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.90.

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.