Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Has $4.96 Million Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 10.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,681 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,710 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.06% of AutoNation worth $4,962,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 2,477.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in AutoNation by 126.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Stephens upped their price objective on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded AutoNation from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $235.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.11.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $201.15 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.79 and a beta of 0.88. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.33 and a 12-month high of $228.92. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $209.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $210.99.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued 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 analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 31.69%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.97 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, October 31st that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

AutoNation 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.