JB Capital LLC Increases Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

JB Capital LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,875 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. JB Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 38.0% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth about $455,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth about $236,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 24.5% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 6,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,212,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IVC Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the second quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,803,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens boosted their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AutoNation from $209.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.63.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.7%

AN opened at $217.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $215.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.57. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $228.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.70 by $0.76. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.77 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.12% and a net margin of 2.31%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.99 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation Company 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.