Inscription Capital LLC Grows Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Inscription Capital LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 226.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,206 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,916 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AN. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in AutoNation by 2,477.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 45.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 375 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on AutoNation from $225.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.22.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $215.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $209.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.82. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $148.33 and a 12 month high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.16. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.84% and a net margin of 2.38%.The firm had revenue of $7.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. AutoNation’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, October 31st that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

AutoNation Company Profile

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.