Inspire Investing LLC Reduces Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Inspire Investing LLC lowered its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,510 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,390 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,485,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in AutoNation by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,256,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $527,261,000 after buying an additional 219,474 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,964,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,749,000 after purchasing an additional 149,959 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 676,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,550,000 after purchasing an additional 15,112 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 144.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 416,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,950,000 after purchasing an additional 245,994 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth about $36,060,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE:AN opened at $213.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.81. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.82.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 31.12%. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.99 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AN. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $222.63.

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.