Private Management Group Inc. Sells 1,199 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Private Management Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 147,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,199 shares during the quarter. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $22,216,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AN. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter worth about $969,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 35.0% during the third quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 133,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,212,000 after acquiring an additional 34,600 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in AutoNation by 18.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 2,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $3.79 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $158.36. 392,473 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 442,214. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $182.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $152.92 and a 200 day moving average of $144.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of 6.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The business had revenue of $6.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $477,093.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,657.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 3,133 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $477,093.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,657.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,167,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 121,279 shares of company stock valued at $19,361,962. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Bank of America dropped their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.00.

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.