Factorial Partners LLC Acquires 800 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Factorial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 33.3% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,200 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the quarter. Factorial Partners LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $510,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in AutoNation by 1.2% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 32,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,393,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Davis Capital Management boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 9,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,543,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $804,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 1,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of AN stock opened at $158.96 on Wednesday. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $197.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $171.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $6.31 billion, a PE ratio of 7.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). The business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 36.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.29 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total value of $17,621,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on AN shares. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. 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 research report on Thursday, August 1st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $192.00.

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.