Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Purchases 4,422,133 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 192,434.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 0.12% of AutoNation worth $913,557,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at about $18,988,000. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. bought a new position in AutoNation during the third quarter worth about $1,140,000. 44 Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AutoNation during the third quarter worth about $1,378,000. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in AutoNation by 65.2% during the third quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 2,759 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in AutoNation by 51.7% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 66,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,546,000 after purchasing an additional 22,664 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN opened at $184.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a 50 day moving average of $196.32 and a 200-day moving average of $202.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.25 and a 1-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 for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.68 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $235.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.