Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 7,350 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in AutoNation by 41.5%, selling 7,350 shares in Q4 and leaving 10,351 shares worth $2.137 million; institutional investors now own 94.62% of the company.
• Wall Street sentiment is a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $248.67, and recent analyst moves include JPMorgan upgrading to "overweight" and Bank of America initiating coverage with a "buy."
• AutoNation reported Q4 EPS of $5.08 (beat $4.91) while revenue of $6.93 billion missed estimates; the stock trades at a P/E of 11.58 with a market cap around $6.78 billion.

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 41.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,351 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,350 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 355.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st 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 period. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded AutoNation from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of AutoNation from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $235.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $248.67.

AutoNation Price Performance

AN opened at $197.61 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $198.07 and a 200 day moving average of $206.11. The stock has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.33 and a 52-week high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $5.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.91 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.69% and a net margin of 2.35%.The business's revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.97 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 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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