AutoNation (NYSE:AN) Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo Sells 900 Shares

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,989 shares in the company, valued at $1,757,580. This represents a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $209.35 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.62 and a twelve month high of $235.81. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $197.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.49. The company has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AN. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in AutoNation during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 49.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 33.0% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AN shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday. Citigroup increased their target price on AutoNation from $287.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays raised their target price on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $255.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a report on Monday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.36.

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.