Evolve Private Wealth LLC Takes $4.08 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 19,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,077,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 355.3% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in AutoNation in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN opened at $186.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.09, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $201.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.90.

AutoNation Profile

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.