Signaturefd LLC Acquires 154 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,660 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Realta Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 1,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management raised its holdings in AutoNation by 5.6% in the third quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 6,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $989,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 18.0% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at $672,013,960.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.00.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE AN opened at $169.70 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $153.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.64. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.81 and a 52 week high of $182.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.49, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.49. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.05 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 earnings per share for the current year.

About AutoNation

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.