Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Purchases 3,200 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,650 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt owned about 0.08% of AutoNation worth $5,204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of AN stock opened at $196.07 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $191.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.50. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The company has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.75. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.68 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their target price on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.73.

About AutoNation

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.