Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Takes $966,000 Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions initiated a $966,000 position in AutoNation during the second quarter by purchasing 5,198 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 94.62% of the company.
• AutoNation reported quarterly EPS of $5.56, exceeding estimates by $0.08, while revenue reached $6.93 billion, down 0.6% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $21.69.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $250 versus the stock’s cited price of $209.29. Recent targets ranged from $224 to $260.

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $966,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company's stock valued at $913,557,000 after acquiring an additional 4,422,133 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,478,991 shares of the company's stock worth $288,784,000 after purchasing an additional 56,641 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 11.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company's stock worth $198,460,000 after purchasing an additional 91,232 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 895,040 shares of the company's stock valued at $184,808,000 after acquiring an additional 5,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 10.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 697,927 shares of the company's stock worth $151,967,000 after acquiring an additional 66,183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE:AN opened at $209.29 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $199.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $198.10. The stock has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.69, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.18. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.48 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.24% and a net margin of 2.82%.AutoNation's revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AN shares. Barclays increased their price objective on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $248.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source