Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $4.88 Million Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Retirement Systems of Alabama reduced its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,486 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,064 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned 0.08% of AutoNation worth $4,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth about $67,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its holdings in AutoNation by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in AutoNation by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $172,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:AN opened at $165.18 on Monday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.81 and a 1-year high of $182.08. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $156.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.83, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 42.44% and a net margin of 3.41%. AutoNation’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.05 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.73 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoNation declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Friday, April 26th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 14.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AN has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Bank of America cut their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Guggenheim upped their price target on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com lowered AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.63.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $925,259.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total transaction of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,793 shares in the company, valued at $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $925,259.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,279 shares of company stock valued at $21,041,962 over the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.