7,300 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Bought by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AN. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth $969,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth $128,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its position in AutoNation by 35.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 133,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,212,000 after purchasing an additional 34,600 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in AutoNation by 18.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 708 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Solutions LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 2,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline A. Travisano sold 3,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.98, for a total transaction of $539,563.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $908,630.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 121,279 shares of company stock valued at $19,361,962 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AN. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of 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 lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.00.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $158.36 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.27. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.81 and a twelve month high of $182.08. The firm has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The firm had revenue of $6.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.37 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.