International Assets Investment Management LLC Invests $9.25 Million in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 61,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,247,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of AutoNation at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $65,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in AutoNation by 101.6% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.25.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN opened at $154.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $182.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.96. The stock has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $6.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.37 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.95 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $477,093.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,657.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 501,776 shares of company stock worth $73,818,692. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation 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.