5,255 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Acquired by Diversified Trust Co

Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 5,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $838,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at $170,270,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 109,571 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 300,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,203,000 after buying an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth about $42,748,000. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its position in AutoNation by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 267,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,317,000 after buying an additional 4,720 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total value of $10,361,568.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $740,108,361.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 177,265 shares of company stock valued at $32,066,359 over the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on AutoNation from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.71.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN traded down $0.20 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $171.20. 4,851 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 429,819. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $167.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.81 and a twelve month high of $197.18. The company has a market cap of $6.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 1.21.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The company had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

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.