3,917 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN Bought by Visionary Horizons LLC

Visionary Horizons LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $857,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the third quarter worth $1,401,000. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter valued at $1,251,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 873.3% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $971,000 after acquiring an additional 4,384 shares during the last quarter. Davis Capital Management purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,024,000. Finally, 111 Capital acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at about $208,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of AN opened at $214.60 on Thursday. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92. The company’s fifty day moving average is $205.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $209.11. The firm has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.84% and a net margin of 2.38%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.02 EPS. Analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoNation declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, October 31st that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America reduced their price target on AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.00.

AutoNation 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.