Yousif Capital Management LLC Has $1.99 Million Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Yousif Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,267 shares of the company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. South Dakota Investment Council increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 76,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,456,000 after purchasing an additional 12,140 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its position in AutoNation by 47.0% during the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 342,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,491,000 after purchasing an additional 109,571 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $217,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $577,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.1 %

AutoNation stock opened at $162.85 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.23. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $182.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 7.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s fifty day moving average is $155.71 and its 200 day moving average is $145.42.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. AutoNation had a return on equity of 42.44% and a net margin of 3.41%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.73 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Friday, April 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Jacqueline A. Travisano sold 3,671 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.98, for a total transaction of $539,563.58. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $908,630.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,279 shares of company stock valued at $21,041,962 over the last quarter. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on AN shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Guggenheim raised their price objective on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.38.

AutoNation 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.