Leonteq Securities AG Sells 9,572 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Leonteq Securities AG lessened its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 87.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,312 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,572 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AN. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth $18,988,000. Emmett Investment Management LP bought a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter valued at about $3,496,000. 44 Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation during the third quarter valued at about $1,378,000. Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 38.3% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,034,000 after purchasing an additional 151,966 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,130,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

NYSE AN traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $191.70. The company had a trading volume of 14,561 shares, compared to its average volume of 415,524. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $192.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $199.15. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92. 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 stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.75.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.68 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AN shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays upped their price target on AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.30.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.