Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Takes $3.68 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 24,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,683,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at about $65,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $67,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in AutoNation by 101.6% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 380,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total value of $54,456,730.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,278,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $612,362,391.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 501,776 shares of company stock valued at $73,818,692 in the last quarter. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $154.45 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $152.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.81, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 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.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AN. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Bank of America dropped their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com cut AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.25.

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.