10,884 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN Bought by Leonteq Securities AG

Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,247,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,176,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,950,000 after buying an additional 34,153 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,460,000 after buying an additional 91,232 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 697,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,967,000 after buying an additional 66,183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of AutoNation by 38.3% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,034,000 after buying an additional 151,966 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AN. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Bank of America began coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Stephens upped their target price on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.33.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN opened at $184.29 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.17 billion, a PE ratio of 9.98, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $176.25 and a 12-month 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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.68 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Company 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.