Savant Capital LLC Cuts Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Savant Capital LLC lessened its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 72.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,271 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,813 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 355.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 126.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup lifted 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, May 14th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.90.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN opened at $190.53 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The business’s 50 day moving average is $196.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.24. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $176.62 and a 52-week high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.68 EPS. Analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.