Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Has $882,000 Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lessened its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 43.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,855 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $882,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AN. Factorial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 6.3% during the third quarter. Factorial Partners LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 20,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,643,000 after purchasing an additional 889 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 3,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 48,440.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 4,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $868,000 after purchasing an additional 4,844 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 11,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,999,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The trade was a 1.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised 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 AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.29.

AutoNation Trading Up 3.0 %

NYSE:AN opened at $169.87 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.21. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.35 and a 1 year high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $167.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.33.

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.