LSV Asset Management Lowers Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

LSV Asset Management cut its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 821,260 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,794 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned 1.93% of AutoNation worth $123,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in AutoNation by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 789 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in AutoNation by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the company's stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at $172,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN traded up $1.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $165.18. The stock had a trading volume of 370,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 561,289. The business has a fifty day moving average of $156.70 and a 200 day moving average of $145.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.83, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.22. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $182.08.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 42.44%. AutoNation's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.05 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.73 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, April 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 14.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total transaction of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,680,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at $659,640,441.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 131,279 shares of company stock valued at $21,041,962. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim upped their price objective on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AutoNation from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.63.

AutoNation Profile

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.