Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Sells 3,461 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC cut its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,466 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,461 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 0.06% of AutoNation worth $4,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 197.8% during the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 873,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,311,000 after acquiring an additional 579,910 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 3,729.5% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 505,268 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,386,000 after acquiring an additional 492,074 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 29.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,505,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,880,000 after acquiring an additional 338,288 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth about $26,990,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 211.1% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 202,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,731,000 after acquiring an additional 137,431 shares during the last quarter. 97.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on AutoNation from $171.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens boosted their price target on AutoNation from $146.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their price target on AutoNation from $184.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $173.71.

AutoNation Trading Up 3.6 %

NYSE AN opened at $140.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $99.72 and a 52 week high of $182.08. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $145.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 27th. The company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.42 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.71 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 54.72% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 22.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director George Lawrence Mikan III sold 16,771 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.59, for a total transaction of $2,676,483.89. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,804 shares in the company, valued at $2,841,340.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP C Coleman Edmunds sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.35, for a total transaction of $721,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,094 shares in the company, valued at $1,458,222.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director George Lawrence Mikan III sold 16,771 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.59, for a total value of $2,676,483.89. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,841,340.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

About AutoNation

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.