Fifth Third Bancorp Reduces Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Fifth Third Bancorp cut its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN – Get Rating) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,313 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AN. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. New Century Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 35.9% in the 2nd quarter. New Century Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 54.5% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 594 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. 86.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on AN. Guggenheim increased their price objective on AutoNation to $154.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered AutoNation from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on AutoNation from $123.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 28th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.50.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 62,379 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.92, for a total value of $7,355,731.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,096,978 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $718,955,645.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 62,379 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.92, for a total value of $7,355,731.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,096,978 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $718,955,645.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 63,090 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Monday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.46, for a total value of $7,410,551.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,003,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $705,216,684.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 336,404 shares of company stock valued at $37,094,192 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.4 %

AN stock opened at $115.92 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.92 and a twelve month high of $135.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of 4.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50 day moving average of $114.27 and a 200 day moving average of $113.90.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 27th. The company reported $6.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.32 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a net margin of 5.50% and a return on equity of 62.53%. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 24.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company Profile

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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.