Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $5.65 Million Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 28,934 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,830 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $5,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AN. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in AutoNation by 4,709.3% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 21,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,263,000 after acquiring an additional 21,380 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd grew its stake in AutoNation by 68.0% during the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,718 shares during the period. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 2.0% in the first quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 165,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,275,000 after purchasing an additional 3,314 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,159,000 after buying an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $245,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AN shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.30.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.7%

AN stock traded up $3.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $195.67. 361,734 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 389,094. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $191.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.80. The stock has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.75. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.65 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was 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 directly owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation 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.