AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by State of Michigan Retirement System

State of Michigan Retirement System lowered its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,248 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $272,000. JB Capital LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 9,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,352,000 after buying an additional 1,684 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors increased its holdings in AutoNation by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 1,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 6,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $989,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $925,259.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total transaction of $549,438.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $925,259.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 579,060 shares of company stock valued at $84,837,845. 0.74% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $158.46 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.73. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $182.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.99, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The firm had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 19.05 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $178.00.

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.