Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Boosts Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management boosted its stake in AutoNation by 27.1% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 57,269 shares worth about $11.8 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on AutoNation remains fairly positive, with nine Buy ratings and two Hold ratings; the stock’s average target price is $246.90.
• AutoNation reported slightly weaker-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $4.69 versus $4.71 expected and revenue of $6.55 billion versus $6.65 billion expected, while insider CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares in May.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 27.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,269 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,210 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.16% of AutoNation worth $11,825,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company's stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 13.3% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company's stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 3.2% in the third quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the company's stock worth $454,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA now owns 2,183 shares of the company's stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised AutoNation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Stephens boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $246.90.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 5.0%

AN opened at $195.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.74. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $196.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $202.03. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $228.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.68 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 EPS for the current 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.

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