Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Sells 3,855 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board reduced its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,855 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in AutoNation by 2.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,910,000 after purchasing an additional 41,712 shares during the period. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter valued at approximately $170,270,000. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,607,000 after acquiring an additional 4,350 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at $15,832,000. Finally, Lodge Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter worth $15,141,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,492,393.92. The trade was a 1.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of AN stock opened at $169.87 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.35 and a 52-week high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $167.10 and its 200-day moving average is $168.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.29.

AutoNation Company 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.