AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Acquired by HCR Wealth Advisors

HCR Wealth Advisors increased its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 11.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,952 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,579 shares during the quarter. AutoNation accounts for 0.6% of HCR Wealth Advisors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. HCR Wealth Advisors’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $3,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 31.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 754,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,300,000 after buying an additional 181,942 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 342,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,491,000 after acquiring an additional 109,571 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 300,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,203,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,748,000. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AutoNation by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 262,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,487,000 after purchasing an additional 5,930 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $477,093.24. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,657.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $477,093.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,657.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,197,224. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 116,804 shares of company stock valued at $18,832,532 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE AN traded up $2.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $169.86. 256,887 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 443,841. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The company has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $162.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.13. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $182.08.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 42.44%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.05 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. 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 research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, April 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.88.

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.