Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Takes Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 13,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,517,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Glenview Trust Co acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth $1,301,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at $422,000. Equitable Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at $518,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,635,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter worth $1,304,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AN. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $248.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $250.00.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN stock opened at $200.35 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $201.30 and its 200-day moving average is $197.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The company has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.71. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.62 and a twelve month high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.24% and a net margin of 2.82%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the transaction, the director 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation 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.