HCR Wealth Advisors Cuts Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

HCR Wealth Advisors cut its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,657 shares of the company’s stock after selling 227 shares during the quarter. AutoNation makes up about 0.6% of HCR Wealth Advisors’ holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. HCR Wealth Advisors owned approximately 0.06% of AutoNation worth $4,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 15,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in AutoNation by 0.3% in the first 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 last quarter. Davis Capital Management grew its holdings in AutoNation by 0.9% during the second 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. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in AutoNation by 1.7% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $804,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock traded up $1.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $165.32. 551,242 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 414,658. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $197.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.19. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $171.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $167.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 53,562 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.45, for a total transaction of $10,361,568.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,825,838 shares in the company, valued at $740,108,361.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 193,256 shares of company stock worth $35,262,954 over the last three months. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AN. Bank of America increased their price target on AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.75.

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.