Inspire Investing LLC Acquires 3,058 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 16.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,684 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,058 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $4,234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,070,000 after purchasing an additional 1,551 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,967,000 after purchasing an additional 9,656 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in AutoNation by 17.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in AutoNation by 37.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $188.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $194.52 and its 200 day moving average is $200.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AN shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America initiated coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.90.

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.