Cwm LLC Lowers Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Cwm LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,763 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,025 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $3,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AN. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter worth $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 355.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE AN opened at $203.23 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.25. The stock has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.81. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.29 and a 12-month high of $228.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.91 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 31.69%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.97 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $207.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of AutoNation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.33.

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.