AutoNation, Inc. $AN Shares Sold by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 0.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 149,643 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,307 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.40% of AutoNation worth $29,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the first 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. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 45.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in AutoNation by 38.0% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $86,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 33.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Up 4.5%

AN stock opened at $207.10 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $208.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $203.35. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.33 and a 52 week high of $228.92. The company has a market cap of $7.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.87.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AutoNation from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $221.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.44.

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.