6,177 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN Acquired by GSA Capital Partners LLP

GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 6,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,148,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,070,000 after buying an additional 1,551 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,967,000 after buying an additional 9,656 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in AutoNation by 17.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $562,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,757,580. This represents a 10.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.1%

AN stock opened at $204.93 on Tuesday. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $235.81. The stock has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $200.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.18.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.48 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on AutoNation from $235.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays raised their price target on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $250.00.

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.