UBS Group AG Sells 36,386 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its AutoNation stake by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 36,386 shares and ending with 119,101 shares valued at about $24.6 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive, with eight analysts rating AN a Buy and two a Hold; the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $246.33.
• AutoNation’s latest results were slightly below expectations, as Q1 EPS came in at $4.69 versus $4.71 expected and revenue was $6.55 billion versus $6.65 billion expected, while revenue fell 2.1% year over year.

UBS Group AG lessened its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 23.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,101 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,386 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.33% of AutoNation worth $24,592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AN. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 8,040 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,660,000 after acquiring an additional 1,627 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,567 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,322,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in AutoNation by 79.7% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 8,765 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,810,000 after buying an additional 3,887 shares during the period. Finally, Optas LLC boosted its position in AutoNation by 39.8% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $235.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $280.00 to $269.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays upped their price target on AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $246.33.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $205.82 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $196.34 and a 200 day moving average of $203.44. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.25 and a twelve month high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). The firm 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%. AutoNation's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.68 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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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