DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Trims Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale cut its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 65.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,100 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in AutoNation by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 13,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,361,000 after purchasing an additional 1,656 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 1st quarter valued at about $215,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its position in AutoNation by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 11,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 47.0% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 1,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 33.6% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 25,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 6,508 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 380,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total value of $54,456,730.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,278,664 shares in the company, valued at $612,362,391.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 380,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total value of $54,456,730.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,278,664 shares in the company, valued at $612,362,391.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 501,776 shares of company stock worth $73,818,692 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.25.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN opened at $152.36 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $152.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.90. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.81 and a 1 year high of $182.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.35 billion, a PE ratio of 6.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The business had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.