Leonteq Securities AG Purchases New Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Leonteq Securities AG opened a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter, buying 10,884 shares valued at about $2.25 million.
• AutoNation reported quarterly results that slightly missed expectations, posting EPS of $4.69 versus $4.71 expected and revenue of $6.55 billion versus $6.65 billion projected.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive: analysts have an average rating of Moderate Buy on AutoNation, with an average price target of $248.33.

Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 10,884 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,247,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company's stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN opened at $184.29 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.79. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $176.25 and a 52-week 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. The business's fifty day moving average is $195.61 and its 200-day moving average is $202.52.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Stephens upped their target price 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 target price on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised AutoNation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $248.33.

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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