Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,859 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth $356,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth $1,430,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth $209,000. Tweedy Browne Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth $503,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 26.1% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 171,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,995,000 after purchasing an additional 35,376 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 4.1%

AutoNation stock opened at $200.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.55 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.81. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $148.33 and a one year high of $228.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $218.47 and a 200 day moving average of $199.44.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.07% and a net margin of 2.38%.AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AN shares. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America decreased their price target on AutoNation from $255.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $230.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.63.

AutoNation 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.