Inspire Investing LLC Increases Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 30.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,626 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,309 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC owned about 0.05% of AutoNation worth $3,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AN. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $913,557,000 after acquiring an additional 4,422,133 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,319,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 260.2% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,064,000 after acquiring an additional 241,265 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 51.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,439,000 after acquiring an additional 215,577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 38.3% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,034,000 after acquiring an additional 151,966 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on AN. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AutoNation Stock Down 4.9%

NYSE:AN opened at $186.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.09, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $195.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $201.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.68 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 EPS for the current year.

About AutoNation

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.