Venturi Wealth Management LLC Purchases 226 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 403.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 282 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $50,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,910,000 after acquiring an additional 41,712 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth about $170,270,000. LSV Asset Management grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,607,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at about $15,832,000. Finally, Lodge Hill Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter valued at about $15,141,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Trading Down 1.3 %

AN opened at $164.80 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $129.32 and a 1-year high of $197.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The company has a market cap of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $166.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.26.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total value of $91,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,825,338 shares in the company, valued at $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens assumed coverage on AutoNation in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.00.

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.