Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 8,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,635,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AN. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.8%

AutoNation stock opened at $200.35 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $235.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $201.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 9.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $248.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $255.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $250.00.

AutoNation 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.