O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 183.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,738 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,826 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $4,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Wintrust Investments LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 2.6% in the first quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in AutoNation by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 6,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $929,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.22% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock opened at $156.35 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $162.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.76. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.92 and a 52-week high of $182.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 89,344 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.71, for a total value of $13,465,034.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,003,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,135,960.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, EVP C Coleman Edmunds sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.35, for a total transaction of $721,575.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,458,222.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 89,344 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.71, for a total value of $13,465,034.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,003,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $754,135,960.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 222,115 shares of company stock worth $36,304,793 over the last three months. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $105.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $225.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 6th. Guggenheim decreased 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. StockNews.com upgraded AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has a consensus 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.