Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 355.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during 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. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 126.1% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America started coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.90.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 3.1%

NYSE AN opened at $187.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.62 and a twelve month high of $228.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $196.23 and its 200 day moving average is $202.26.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.