AutoNation, Inc. $AN Holdings Trimmed by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Key Points

• Gamco Investors trimmed its AutoNation stake by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 19,825 shares and leaving it with 329,118 shares worth about $67.96 million. Institutional investors still own a large majority of the company at 94.62%.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on AutoNation (AN): the stock has a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average target price of $248.33, with eight analysts rating it Buy and two Hold. Weiss Ratings recently upgraded the shares to Buy.
• AutoNation’s latest quarterly results were mixed, as it missed EPS and revenue estimates and posted a 2.1% year-over-year revenue decline. Shares were last around $184.13, below the stock’s 52-week high of $228.92.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lowered its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 329,118 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,825 shares during the quarter. AutoNation accounts for approximately 0.7% of Gamco Investors INC. ET AL's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned approximately 0.90% of AutoNation worth $67,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AN. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in AutoNation by 8.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,070,000 after buying an additional 1,551 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in AutoNation during the first quarter valued at about $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 10.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,967,000 after buying an additional 9,656 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in AutoNation by 17.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AN. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America began coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Stephens increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $248.33.

AutoNation Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $184.13 on Monday. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.25 and a one year high of $228.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 9.97, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $196.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.84.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.68 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

AutoNation News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoNation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several of its future earnings estimates for AutoNation, including FY2027 EPS to $24.23 from $23.17 and multiple 2026-2027 quarterly forecasts, signaling stronger expected profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to carry a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from brokerages, suggesting Wall Street remains broadly constructive on AutoNation (AN).
• Positive Sentiment: AutoNation also received some positive public-relations attention after partnering with Habitat for Humanity on a Florida homeownership effort, which may help brand sentiment but is unlikely to move the stock materially.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some Zacks estimates were only modestly changed, while FY2028 EPS was trimmed to $26.37 from $26.94, making the overall analyst picture mixed rather than uniformly bullish.
• Negative Sentiment: AutoNation’s most recent earnings report missed consensus on both EPS and revenue, and quarterly sales fell year over year, which remains a headwind for investor sentiment.

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.

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