AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Bought by Burney Co.

Burney Co. grew its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 6.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,092 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Burney Co.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at $683,777,090.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 177,265 shares of company stock valued at $32,066,359 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 7.2 %

Shares of NYSE:AN traded down $13.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $170.74. 672,440 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 439,837. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $168.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $158.97. The company has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a PE ratio of 8.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.81 and a twelve month high of $197.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). The business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.28% and a net margin of 2.93%. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.29 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, April 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 14.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America upped their target price on AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.00.

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.