61,574 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Acquired by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 61,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,247,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned about 0.14% of AutoNation as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AN. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in AutoNation by 13.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 13,667 shares of the company's stock worth $1,361,000 after purchasing an additional 1,656 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter worth about $215,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its position in AutoNation by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 11,818 shares of the company's stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 47.0% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,081 shares of the company's stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 1,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in AutoNation by 33.6% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 25,882 shares of the company's stock worth $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 6,508 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $154.11. The stock had a trading volume of 482,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 461,052. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a PE ratio of 6.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $182.08. The company's 50 day moving average is $152.18 and its 200-day moving average is $143.90.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.37 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 380,497 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total value of $54,456,730.64. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,278,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $612,362,391.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 380,497 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total value of $54,456,730.64. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,278,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $612,362,391.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 501,776 shares of company stock worth $73,818,692 in the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AN shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.25.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; and parts and services, such as automotive repair and maintenance, and wholesale parts and collision services.