3,610 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN Acquired by Pallas Capital Advisors LLC

Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $671,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake 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 period. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 49.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth about $63,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $201.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.78. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $176.62 and a 52-week high of $235.81. The firm has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s fifty day moving average is $200.31 and its 200 day moving average is $197.86.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.24% and a net margin of 2.82%.The business had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Northcoast Research upgraded AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $255.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $235.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $250.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,757,580. This represents a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.