AutoNation, Inc. $AN Stake Raised by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 79,095 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,522 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $12,453,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Private Management Group Inc. increased its stake in AutoNation by 85.9% during the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 144,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,799,000 after acquiring an additional 66,929 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Ethic Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 3,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $906,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Down 3.5%

NYSE AN opened at $180.72 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $174.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.35. The company has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.16, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.82. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $151.82 and a 1-year high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.08 by $0.03. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.18% and a net margin of 2.63%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.01 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 20.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, Director Jacqueline Travisano bought 530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $185.29 per share, for a total transaction of $98,203.70. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,745,246.51. This represents a 5.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Thomas A. Szlosek purchased 541 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $184.56 per share, for a total transaction of $99,846.96. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 21,166 shares in the company, valued at $3,906,396.96. This represents a 2.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 1,611 shares of company stock valued at $298,005 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research lowered AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.20.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc. is a U.S. automotive retailer that sells new and used vehicles through a network of dealerships. Its stores offer vehicles from a range of manufacturers, along with related products and services. The company also provides vehicle maintenance and repair, parts, and collision-repair services. Its offerings include financing and insurance products, as well as online tools that support vehicle research and purchasing. Founded in 1996, AutoNation operates dealerships across the United States, with a presence concentrated in the Sun Belt.