AutoNation, Inc. $AN Shares Purchased by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 26,650 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $5,204,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 49.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Ten research 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, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.73.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.4%

AutoNation stock opened at $196.07 on Wednesday. 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 12 month low of $176.62 and a 12 month high of $228.92. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $191.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $198.50. The firm has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 10.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.75.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.68 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.35 earnings per share for the current year.

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.