Kimberly Dees Sells 2,500 Shares of AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Stock

Key Points

• Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation on May 5 at an average price of $204.91 for $512,275, cutting her ownership by 63.2% to 1,456 shares (disclosed in an SEC filing).
• AutoNation slightly missed quarterly expectations, reporting $4.69 EPS versus a $4.71 consensus and $6.55B in revenue versus $6.65B estimated, with revenue down 2.1% year‑over‑year.
• Analyst sentiment is positive—MarketBeat shows a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target price of $246.33 (eight Buy ratings, two Holds).

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) 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 transaction of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.3%

AN traded up $0.60 during trading on Thursday, hitting $205.37. The stock had a trading volume of 272,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 437,354. The company has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a PE ratio of 11.13, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.79. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $175.80 and a twelve month high of $228.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $196.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.50.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.68 earnings per share. AutoNation's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. 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, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $246.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company's stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company's stock worth $1,170,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 0.9% during 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 during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 13.3% during the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in AutoNation by 37.4% during 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. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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