First Republic Investment Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

First Republic Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 98,129 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,659 shares during the quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $13,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 87.8% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its stake in AutoNation by 106.3% during the first quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 458 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 101.6% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. 97.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 80,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total transaction of $14,313,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,887,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $874,455,039.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 80,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total transaction of $14,313,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,887,408 shares in the company, valued at $874,455,039.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Mark Manley purchased 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $1,014,230.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,227,714.53. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 272,115 shares of company stock valued at $43,564,293 over the last quarter. 0.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN opened at $160.66 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.92 and a 1 year high of $182.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a PE ratio of 6.66 and a beta of 1.14.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 21st. The company reported $6.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.91 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $6.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.78 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 4.50% and a return on equity of 58.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.48 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 22.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on AutoNation from $105.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on AutoNation from $184.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $146.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $174.57.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; and parts and services, such as automotive repair and maintenance, and wholesale parts and collision services.